You're In Good Hands
by Georgie1
Summary: COMPLETED! Yep BROE meet and fall in love. They just don't know it yet.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this fic!  
  
This is an A/U fic again. Mainly BROE as usual. I know Broe have "stereotypical" jobs in this one and may not be what you'd expect but that's the whole point. :) Was that mysterious enough? Oh and it may start out kinda slow and even a little sad and the language a little harsh but it won't remain so, I hope! LOL  
  
[b]You're In Good Hands  
  
Chapter 1: Meet Broe  
  
Salem. Really, Really Early in the Morning As in the Sun Has Not Yet Risen [/b]  
  
"Good Morning, Chloe." The red-haired nurse smiled from her place at the nurses' station on the ground floor at Salem University Hospital.  
  
"Good Morning, Brenda," Chloe Lane beamed as she entered the elevator to the fourth floor. Chloe was a registered nurse, had been for three years now and adored her job. This was what she was meant to be, to do. She knew it in her heart now. You couldn't have told Chloe this was her calling twenty years ago though. Hell, not even ten years ago. She would have told you that music was her life, her safe place, her outlet, what she would always be and do. But, one hot, summer day, seven years ago, all that changed.  
  
She was at home, eating dinner in the backyard with her mother Nancy and step father Craig. They were having a kind of family barbeque out back when Craig began to choke on a hunk of hot dog. Naturally, Nancy panicked, beating Craig's back with a spatula as if that would get it out. And Craig, chief of staff of a hospital or not, was freaking too because Nancy wouldn't let up with the spatula and needless to say choking in it of itself causes some degree of panic. The backyard bench was hardly a suitable place to perform the Heimlich maneuver on himself. Craig was doomed. How ironic. Through hazy eyes, Craig could see the Salem Spectator headline now: 'In Defining Moment Hospital Chief of Staff Chokes. . . Literally.'  
  
Chloe, at first completely frozen in horror, suddenly felt something inherently click. And like magic she'd pulled her mother off of her father, did her thing and saved the day. And the rest, as they say, is history.  
  
Chloe adjusted her high ponytail and smoothed down her Bugs Bunny patterned scrubs, yawning loudly. Sighing, she exited the elevator and grinned madly as she made her way to the lounge. The smell of the Pine Sol scented air and the sound of the soles of her white Reeboks squeaking against the glistening, freshly mopped floor, invigorated her. She nearly burst out laughing. God, she was a sick woman.  
  
*************  
  
Somewhere in Salem. Around a Dumpster In a Dark Alley. Same Time.  
  
"F&ck, I'm sick of this waiting," Detective Jason Masters cursed as he sat waiting behind a garbage dumpster next to his partner of two years, friend and roommate, Detective Brady Black. "We should be in Chicago, reading the Trib, eating leftover pizza and having a nice cold beer to wash it all down with. 'Stead of staking out in this ho hum town, waiting to rescue some two-bit crony out of a f&cking abandoned fish warehouse. Assh≤ probably deserves whatever the f&ck these bastards are probably doing to him in there."  
  
"Soon, Jase, soon," Brady chuckled as he rubbed his lightly stubbled face.  
  
Bruce Bracco was some eighty-odd year old friend of the mayor of Chicago that got himself kidnapped and held for ransom somehow, something about ownership of some sea ports back east. Only the insiders knew the whole story. Long story short: All things concerning this case were a bit shady, so the mayor wanted this thing handled quick and fast with as little hoopla and fanfare as possible. So, the force put two of Chicago's finest young detectives on the case. And two weeks later, this wild goose chase led them here: Ho Hum, U.S.A, according to Jase. But home sweet home, according to Brady.  
  
Salem was Brady's home, where he was born and raised with his half-sister Belle and a load of other loons he lovingly referred to as family. Sure, he hadn't been here in a while, two years to be exact and even then his visit was short, but his work in Chicago had consumed him. He lived for chasing and beating down the bad guys, not that he wasn't one of those so- called "bad guys" as a kid. But the rebel of the family had seen the error of his ways and become, of all things, a cop. And two years ago, he'd made detective, making his family and himself proud. His job was his life. And so he sat, him and Jase having been in the same spot for ten hours, waiting, just waiting for the go ahead. So why not go in the damn warehouse and just bust up the joint now? Well first off all, they weren't completely sure how many guys were in this place and if they'd just have shown up there and burst in, guns blazing, someone, perhaps all of them, would've gotten themselves killed. Secondly, they were waiting for daylight. More people up and walking around these now abandoned streets, the less likely one of those goons in that warehouse gets a shifty hand when Brady and Jase finally do make their move. Yeah, waiting, however G-d D&mn boring it had been, it would have to do.  
  
"Black, I gotta take a piss," Jason whined, wriggling against the dumpster.  
  
"So, piss." Brady shrugged.  
  
"Where?"  
  
Brady casually gestured to the dumpster they were perched against. "This thing can't possibly smell any worse."  
  
"Great," Jason muttered, attempting to climb into the dumpster. "Just don't let me get caught with my pants down," he chuckled at his own joke.  
  
Brady grinned and kept his eyes trained on the warehouse door. "Hurry up, I gotta take a piss too," he whined as he listened to the steady stream of Jason's pee hit some trash inside the dumpster. "Hurry."  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm done," Jason zipped up his pants and climbed out.  
  
"Thank God," Brady sighed as he began climbing the dumpster but jumped back down the side. "Wait, wait, wait," he started, shaking his head.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where did you pee exactly?"  
  
"Inside the dumpster." Jason looked over his partner incredulously.  
  
"I know that," Brady rolled his eyes. "But did you pee to the right or to the left?" He made a dramatic show of it all by moving his hands right, and then left.  
  
"What the f&ck are you talking about? What the f&ck does that matter?"  
  
"I don't wanna stand in your piss, man." Brady stood, hands on hips, stony- faced.  
  
"What the. The piss is probably all soaked into the trash by now, Brady. it's." He trailed off as he noticed the wide grin slowly crawling across Brady's face. "You think you're so f&cking funny don't you? Get the f&ck in there and pee, d&ckhead."  
  
Brady let out a raucous laugh and obliged, climbing into the dumpster as Jason kept an eye on the warehouse door. "You're too easy man," Brady was still smiling as he was about to zip up his jeans. "Jase?" He waited for his partner to curse at him, spit at him, something. "Jase?"  
  
"Shhhh." Jason quieted his partner as he eyed the doors of the warehouse slowly opening. "They still got him, Brade," he murmured as he eyed four goons and their frail hostage: Bruce Bracco, looking as old as ever. If these idiots didn't kill him soon, lord knows, he'd die of some other natural cause in the next few days. "I say we make our move before they send us to some other piece of sh&t town for another stakeout."  
  
"No, Jase, you're gonna get him killed," Brady rasped, still in the dumpster, pants still unzipped as he pulled his gun from his shoulder holster, prepared to back up his roguish partner. "Jase!" Brady half yelled and half whispered as Jason blew their cover and began to walk towards the oblivious creeps. "Shit," Brady cursed as he attempted to jump out of the dumpster.  
  
"Police!" Jason yelled, getting the goons' attention as they threw Bracco into the backseat of an old, maroon-colored Buick. "Police! Put down your weapons and throw your hands up where I can see them!" He jogged toward the unyielding suspects.  
  
Brady nearly squealed in annoyance. What the f&ck was Jason trying to do? Get them all killed? "Oh Christ," Brady muttered as he heard the first shots ring out.  
  
Before Brady could get his bearings, shots were being fired on both sides and his partner was down. His mind always went into overdrive during a gunfight. And it seemed, all of a sudden, things moved at a blinding speed. This was no different as he successfully shot and downed three of the armed suspects and shot the tires out of the Buick that made a feeble attempt at escape with the bound and gagged hostage in the backseat. He watched the car screech and donut out of control a bit before slowing down to a stop. The driver jumped out the vehicle and shot Brady before he knew what hit him. The bullet ripped through his shoulder and before he knew what was happening, he too laid a trail of deadly shots into the suspect's chest.  
  
One. Two. Three. Four. All four goons shot and if Bracco, the hostage, wasn't wounded during the crossfire, this mission would be labeled a success. God, his shoulder hurt like a b&tch! Brady had little time to think though, as he saw his partner lying unconscious in a pool of blood, the slowly rising sun only now beginning to illuminate Jason's body and the ugly scene that had played out only seconds before. Brady, meekly holding his wounded shoulder, checked on the hostage. Bruce Bracco was fine, a little shaken up but fine. Brady left him there in the backseat and attempted to run back across the street and reach Jason, but his damn jeans were falling down. He'd been so caught up in the fight, he hadn't realized he had never zipped up his jeans and they were practically around his ankles now. "Sh&t," Brady muttered, clad only in his blood-laden shirt, shoulder holster and pinstriped boxers as he stood in the middle of the street and began to pull up his jeans.  
  
And that's why he didn't even hear it coming. Seconds later, Brady saw two blinding lights headed his way and felt himself hit something way too hard to be anything good and feel as his body propelled through the air and land with a thud before everything went black. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Now What?  
  
Later That Morning. . .  
  
Chloe sat down in the lounge a minute to rest her tired feet. Usually she wouldn't allow herself this tiny luxury but she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep lately and after a few hours of rounds, she was beat. For a few nights now, she'd walked around her house like a zombie, unusual for her because she usually slept like a baby and almost nothing could disturb her habitual sleeping pattern.  
  
So, last night, she consulted a deck of tarot cards one of her best friends, Mimi, had given her last year for her birthday. Chloe would never admit to anyone she'd ever even used these things but she had been desperate. She got the feeling she seemed to be waiting for something, or someone, but she just didn't know what; it pissed the hell out of her. She hated all this paranormal crap but something was definitely up. Well the damn tarot cards were no help because she didn't know how the hell to read the damn things anyway. She kept coming up with the same card, some angel or cupid looking upwards, a slight smile on his face. . . whatever that meant. Chloe's mind whirled with possible meanings: love, death, a possible visit from some heavenly apparition. God, who knew? She didn't want to think about it anymore. She just wanted some peace. The only place she'd been able to find lately was work but that was nothing new. She loved her job.  
  
She just needed someone to talk to. Belle, her other best friend, was working so that was out of the question; and Mimi, well, Mimi would just annoy her right now. 'Maybe the hospital chapel?' Chloe thought to herself. Chloe was by no means a religious person but maybe, just maybe she'd find what she was looking for there. But Chloe never made it to the chapel. Her father, hospital chief of staff, Dr. Craig Wesley stopped her as she bypassed the ER.  
  
"Chloe, thank God I've run into you," he breathed.  
  
"Craig, what is it? What's wrong?" She felt dread pooling slowly into her stomach.  
  
"It's Belle," he shook his head.  
  
"Belle! What's happened to her? Is she okay," Chloe pleaded with her eyes and voice to her father for answers. She'd met Belle Black in nursing school at Salem University. Funnily enough, considering practically everyone in Salem knew each other, they always found it odd that their first meeting had taken place in college. Belle Black and Mimi Lockhart were Chloe's lifelines. If anything ever happened to either of them, Chloe wasn't sure what she would do.  
  
"No," Craig shook his head. "No, Belle's fine. Well, as good as can be expected. It's Brady. Brady Black."  
  
"Brady Black?" Chloe's mind raced for recognition. She gasped. "Belle's brother?" Craig nodded. "He's a cop in Chicago, right? Don't tell me something happened to him there. Oh God, I have to find Belle."  
  
"No," Craig began, as he sat Chloe down with him on a bench in one of the vacant hallways. "No, Brady was hit by a car. here in Salem. He and his partner were on some case that led them here and after surviving a pretty bloody gunfight," Craig almost laughed at the irony of it all. "Seems Brady managed to get himself hit by a car." Craig's face sobered. He'd gotten to know Brady pretty well when years ago Brady was ordered to do volunteer work at the hospital as punishment for shoplifting or some other petty crime Brady had committed. Craig had always been fond of Brady and to think he had turned his life around and was almost killed this morning. Craig found it all a little hard to handle, especially since he had gotten closer with the Blacks since Chloe had known Belle. "He's stable now but in a coma and I'm not certain when he'll be coming out of it. Belle's a wreck."  
  
"Oh, God, well I'd bet she would be," Chloe shook her head sadly and thought about what her best friend must be going through. She had never met Brady but she'd heard a lot about him. Belle loved her brother, thought the world of him. Chloe's heart felt as if a great weight had suddenly hit it. "Where is she?"  
  
"In the chapel."  
  
Chloe nodded and made her way into the chapel, immediately spotting her scrub-clad best friend crying slumped over in one of the pews. "Oh Belle," she enveloped her friend into a hug.  
  
"Chloe, my brother," she cried. "Oh God." Sobs shook her tiny body. "Chloe, I can't even. . . He looks so. . ."  
  
Seeing Belle like this broke Chloe's heart. Belle was always the happy one, the perky one, the sane one, the smiling one. I mean Belle worked on the Labor and Delivery floor for goodness sakes. Seeing her like this was just weird. "Belle, where are John and Marlena?"  
  
"Visiting him. But I can't bear it. I can't stand to see him like that. So quiet. . . not moving. . . so still. . . too still," Belle sniffled and wiped her face roughly with shaking hands. "Chloe, promise me. Promise me you'll stay with him."  
  
"Belle, I don't understand," Chloe shook her head.  
  
"Promise me, you won't leave him alone in that room, that you'll visit him. For me. . . I can't," Belle's sobs began to begin again. "I can't look at him like that. It's too much."  
  
"Okay. Okay," Chloe sighed and hugged her friend reassuringly. "I'll check on him every second I get. Okay?" Belle nodded and even graced Chloe with a slight smile of relief. "Now, you need to get home. Get some rest."  
  
"Shawn's coming to get me but I can't sleep," Belle frowned, thinking of her brother lying in that hospital bed, looking so unusually small and weak. "I won't be able to."  
  
"Okay, Belle, that's okay. As long as you rest your body, so when Brady finally does wake up, he can see your smiling face. Okay?" Chloe grinned for her friend.  
  
"Okay." Belle managed a small smile.  
  
"Okay."  
  
*************************  
  
Several long hours later, Chloe was finally off her shift. She decided to head up and see Belle's brother. "Poor guy," Chloe sighed after asking the charge nurse for his room number.  
  
"627." She stood in front of the door and couldn't explain the funny way her heart began to race and the suddenly flighty feeling her stomach experienced. Shaking off the funny feeling, she quietly opened the door and got her first real look at Brady Black. Her heart dropped. 


	3. Chapter 3

I disclaim! This chapter is a little long and I tend to ramble on as usual LOL Thanks for reading ;)  
  
Chapter 3: Angel of Music  
  
Chloe frowned. Apart from the various beeping machines and ventilator that sounded with each beat of his heart and breath he took, the room was silent. Chloe couldn't explain the heavy feeling of absolute grief that took hold. She was a nurse, had seen sick people for years and it never bothered her this much. 'Maybe it's because this is my best friend's brother,' she reasoned to herself as she stood at the side of his bed and got her first real look at him.  
  
His short, blonde hair was matted to his forehead and his face was strong and still, a light stubble along his jaw. He was a very handsome man Chloe absently noted and took one of his large hands in hers. She couldn't ignore the tingly feeling she got when her skin touched his as she sat with him for awhile 'for Belle's sake,' she told herself.  
  
Through her experiences as a nurse, she'd learned that, coma patients often remembered hearing their relatives talking to them, reading to them, singing to them as they slept. So she hummed quietly, knowing he could hear her wherever he was right now. Her brow knitted as she realized what tune she had arbitrarily chosen. It was a classical nocturne by Chopin she hadn't heard in years. The song brought back memories of her childhood, in some ways so joyous and in others cruel and callous. Her adoptive parents had given her a tape of his classical songs that she had adored. And even after their deaths, as she was pushed around from one foster home to another, she'd coveted it very much. Listening to Chopin's intoxicating yet morose melodies, stirred up these conflicting and contemplative feelings within her that she hated and loved, both at the same time. She hadn't seen or heard that tape in years. What had made her choose one of those songs? Twenty minutes later, she exited the room, deep in thought. Brady Black wasn't even conscious yet but already he'd made her uneasy. "Hmmm. . ." Chloe frowned and ran right into a man's chest.  
  
"Sorry, Miss. I didn't even watch where I was going."  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"That's Brady Black's room right?" The worried man held his IV stand with one hand and kept the back of his hospital gown closed with the other.  
  
"Who wants to know," Chloe couldn't help but feel a little protective of Belle's brother.  
  
"Masters. Detective Jason Masters," the man sighed. "Brady saved my life."  
  
************************  
  
Two Days later. . . Chloe's Loft. . .  
  
"Yeah Mimi, of course," Chloe assured her friend over the phone as she towel dried her hair and took a seat on her puffy, black couch. "Brady's doing okay. I mean, yes he's in a coma but the doctor's expect him to come out of it soon. And apart from a shoulder wound and two broken legs, I think he'll come out of it okay. I get a really good feeling with him."  
  
"A good feeling? What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I mean, you know how I've been feeling funny all week, couldn't sleep, couldn't seem to get going."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Well, so I walk into the guy's room and I don't know. . . This sudden feeling of contemplativeness just washes over me. All I could think about was my childhood and I hadn't really thought about that in years. It was bizarre. I was feeling all of these things so strongly. Honestly, it was incredibly unnerving but I've never felt so complete or at peace." She chose her words carefully now, suddenly feeling foolish. "I mean, I know it sounds strange and granted at first, I felt awful for him. But there's just something about him," Chloe sighed. She'd spent most of her free time in Brady's room the past few days just sitting with him, reflecting on her past, considering her future. It was maddening, yet oddly therapeutic.  
  
"So I run into his partner Jason," she continued. "And he starts telling me about Brady too, like Belle does you know? And we visit with Brady for a while. Then I walk Jason back to his room and something, God knows what, draws me back to Brady's room. And I just go in there, plop down in a seat by his bed again, take his hand and I guess I fell asleep. And Mimi," she paused. "I've never slept so well."  
  
"Weird," Mimi murmured. "I mean I've known Brady for awhile now and he's really hot. . ."  
  
Chloe scoffed, knowing Mimi wouldn't understand it was more than physical.  
  
Mimi continued. "So you being attracted to him is understandable but this is all really strange."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"You saying he makes you feel so much. You admitting to me that anyone can make you feel anything. You're not exactly the most openly emotional person-"  
  
"Gee, thanks, Meems."  
  
"Chloe, that's the truth and you know it. You don't even know the guy. And trust me: Brady's never been known to instill peace in anyone. I hate to say this but do you think it means he's close to death or something?"  
  
"The thought crossed my mind, but Jesus, don't tell Belle."  
  
"Of course not." Mimi frowned. "Just the same though, I think maybe you ought to consult those tarot cards I gave you."  
  
"Ugh, I hate to admit this. I mean really. . . really hate to admit this, but I kind of already have."  
  
"Have what?"  
  
"Consulted the tarot cards."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And what?" Chloe groaned. "They're just cards, Meems. They mean nothing. Besides, I think something's wrong with the deck anyway, kind of freaks me out."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, the angel card keeps popping up. The one where the cherub looking guy is smiling freakishly," Chloe laughed.  
  
Mimi gasped. "You're kidding?"  
  
"No." Chloe frowned, hating the curiosity that swept over her. "What's that card mean anyway?"  
  
"Oh Chlo. Love. Chloe, that card means love. You and Brady," Mimi gushed.  
  
"Love?" This was a little too otherworldly for Chloe's taste. "Be serious, Mimi. The guy is in a coma, fighting for his life. He doesn't even know I exist and even if he did, I hardly think love would be the first thing on his mind."  
  
"Yes, but you said yourself that he'll be just fine soon enough."  
  
"I know but. . ." Chloe fidgeted in her sweats. "I don't even know why I'm discussing this with you. This is silly."  
  
"Because I am one of your very best friends and because you, Chloe Lane, have just found your soulmate."  
  
*********************  
  
Soulmate. Chloe hated that word and didn't believe in it for a second. Mimi was insane. Brady wasn't her soulmate. He was just some guy. Some guy who was lying unconscious in a hospital bed and fighting for his life. Some guy. Some guy who strangely made her feel safe and whom she had a very strange, overwhelming sense to protect. Ewww. . . Chloe didn't even want to think about it. This was too weird. But here she was, arriving earlier than normal for her shift to visit with Brady again. Her heart dropped out of her chest when she opened the door to room 627 and found the bed empty. "Where's Brady?" She unconsciously said aloud.  
  
"Oh, if you mean Mr. Hot Blonde Detective. He's come out of his coma. He's on your floor now, I think, Chloe. Looks like you get Mr. Don Johnson- Miami Vice now."  
  
"Thanks Gloria," Chloe watched the heavy set, white haired nurse waddled down the hallway. "Hmmm. . ." Chloe bit her lip nervously as she made her way to her floor. She looked down at her Snoopy patterned scrubs and suddenly felt very self-conscious. So Brady had come out of his coma. "Hmmm. . ." Chloe murmured again as she neared her floor. She should be grateful. She pulled at her low ponytail. Brady had come out of his coma. She wondered if Belle was aware of the great news. This was great, right? Chloe could finally meet him. "Hmmm. . ." She was so caught up in her thoughts that she ran smack dab into John Black's chest. "John! Marlena," she grinned at Belle's beaming parents.  
  
"Chloe, hey," John hugged her fiercely and smiled as Marlena did the same. "Did you hear the news? Brady's out of his coma."  
  
"Yes, actually, I just heard. Congratulations," she smiled.  
  
"Looks like you'll be taking care of him now, Chloe." John winked at her.  
  
"Looks like it." Chloe inwardly groaned, suddenly very uneasy. She was certain Belle was aware, courtesy of Mimi, that Chloe had visited with Brady several times the past few days. And it was now apparent John and Marlena were aware of this as well, only this time she was sure Craig was the culprit. Her fascination with Brady had become front-page news it seemed. "Is he awake?"  
  
"Occasionally," John grinned. "Looks like they have the kid doped up enough."  
  
"That's good because with that shoulder wound and two broken legs. . ." Chloe trailed off, shaking her head.  
  
"Very true," Marlena nodded sadly, knowing Brady was not going to take the news of his injuries very well.  
  
"So, I've got to get to work but it was great seeing you two and tell Belle I said 'Congratulations.'"  
  
"Will do. Thanks, Chloe," John and Marlena walked to the elevators leaving her alone in the hallway. After checking in and relieving the night nurse, Chloe made her way over to Brady's room. Time to change his IV. She briskly walked into his room and nearly stopped in her tracks. He really was looking sooooo much better. The soft, light coming in through the blinds cast an ethereal glow in the room. And Chloe sighed softly and smiled at the sleeping man, lying peacefully in the too small bed for his long body. She began to hum some random contented tune as she changed out his IV. She was glad to see him looking so well. Well, apart from his legs that were elevated in the air and the blue sling that bound his left arm, he looked really good anyway. She continued her humming and didn't even realize her patient struggling to open his drowsy eyes at the sound of her delighted voice.  
  
Brady heard that voice again. Only this time she was humming something soothing, something happy. He had to see her. This woman who'd haunted his dreams for days now. Dammit, he would open his eyes. With great effort, he managed to open his very heavy eyelids and stare at the humming angel above him. Was he dead?  
  
Chloe heard the Brady's heart monitor begin to race and so she looked down and locked eyes with the most piercing blues she'd ever seen.  
  
Brady's breath caught in his throat when this heavenly creature set her striking blue eyes to his. He was dead. He had to be. He was in Heaven. "Are you an angel?" his voice was raspy and weak, having had the ventilator tube removed from his throat only hours prior.  
  
Chloe was speechless. Brady, her Brady, okay so not her Brady. yet. thought she was an angel. 'How sweet,' she gushed to herself.  
  
Brady felt his eyes begin to close again and a blissful sleep overtake him. "My angel. angel of music." he murmured.  
  
Chloe gazed at him, smiling at his drug-induced state as he nodded off again. She pondered his kind words and for the first time in a long time, pondered her love life. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: First Impressions Die Easy  
  
  
  
  
  
Two Mornings Later. Bright and Not So Early.  
  
  
  
Chloe grinned anxiously at Nurse Brenda and ran to the first elevator. She was late. "Shit," she muttered, riding the elevator up to the third floor. "Shit," she cursed again. She'd slept in. She was never late for work. But she'd been dreaming, dreaming of Mr. Tall, Blonde, and Handsome. He had been pretty drugged up the last few days but hopefully he was up and around this morning.  
  
As the elevator doors dinged open, she grimaced as she reported to the charge nurse who proceeded to write Chloe up. Ugh, this day had already started out badly and the only way Chloe figured it would get better is if she saw Brady. He always managed to cheer her up. Okay, so she had never spoken to the guy. But she'd fantasized about it, especially since the day before yesterday when he'd opened those beautiful baby blues and called her his "angel of music." She loved the Phantom of the Opera and knew the reference well. Maybe Brady was an opera buff. She would've asked Belle but then Belle would wonder why she'd be thinking of something like that at a time like this. She would've asked Mimi, but Mimi was still going on and on about her and Brady being soulmates. Chloe continued to dismiss the idea, explaining to Mimi that she didn't even believe in soulmates and she hadn't even officially met Brady yet. She was just his nurse and his sister's best friend. That was all she was and ever would be to Brady. Though, somewhere deep inside, Chloe was beaming at the possible prospect of Brady as her soulmate. No, it was true, she hadn't believed in soulmates. not until she laid eyes on him this week and felt that strange pull, that otherworldly connection to him. And now it was like her world turning upside down. All she'd been able to think about was Brady. What he must look like not so drugged up. What he must sound like singing to her as they danced under the moonlight. What his lips would feel like pressed against her own. She laughed at her thoughts. God, who was she kidding? She needed a boyfriend or a hobby.  
  
She approached Brady's room, her smile falling as she heard a muffled commotion going on inside. So she pushed open the door and gasped at the sight. Brady, her Brady, was throwing a fit, like a child. This wasn't her soulmate! This wasn't her soft spoken, opera loving, manchild.  
  
Brady fidgeted in his bed, not liking his legs elevated above the bed or the awesome amount of pain that throbbed in his left shoulder. "This is ridiculous!"  
  
"Brady, relax," John smiled and tried to settle his son down. All morning, John, Marlena, Belle, Shawn, Mimi and Jason had tried to calm Brady down. But ever since he'd seen the state of his own body and the headline of the Salem Spectator, he'd been downright hysterical. Under normal circumstances, Brady's visitors would be concerned for him. But his outburst this morning had them cracking up. Maybe they were just relieved he was alive and glad he was back to his old self again. Maybe that's why they couldn't help but quietly laugh at him.  
  
"Relax?" Brady laughed maniacally. He'd shot dead four criminals, and therefore was suspended, with pay, while an investigation took place. Standard procedure of course but it still pissed him off. And then he'd found out his shoulder had been shot and both of his legs were broken. He'd been hit by a car. After quote unquote saving the day, he'd been hit by a car. How f&cking ironic was that!? He snatched the Salem Spectator in his hands again and ogled the headline: 'Small Town Car Catches Big City Cop With Pants Down.' "Where is Jack Deveraux!? I am going to kick his ass!"  
  
"Kick Jack's ass, huh Brady?" Belle smiled at her brother and lightly patted his cast-bound legs.  
  
"That's not funny, Belle!" Brady glared at his sister and ran his hand through his hair. And that's when his eyes landed on a beautiful, blue- eyed brunette standing timidly at his door dressed adorably in Marvin the Martian scrubs, her hair up in a high ponytail. "Who the hell are you?" He spat, uncomfortable with the shocked way she was looking at him.  
  
All eyes and heads in the room turned to Chloe. He didn't remember her. His angel of music. He didn't remember her. Chloe cleared her throat. "I'm."  
  
"Brady, be nice." Belle pulled Chloe over to Brady's bed. "This is your nurse, Chloe. And this is also my best friend. She's been taking care of you."  
  
Brady looked her up and down, looking as if he were sizing her up. Chloe's face scrunched, not liking the untrusting way Brady was looking at her. "Hmmm. . ." Brady grunted in reply. He really didn't know what to say. [i]She[/i] had been taking care of him the last few days? This beautiful creature? And now she'd just walked in on one of his not so shining moments and he was embarrassed. 'Hmm' would have to do for now because he was too taken aback by this woman's presence to say much more.  
  
"'Hmm?'" Belle mocked him. "Is that all you have to say to her?"  
  
Brady began to feel all eyes in the room boring into him now, making him uncomfortable and therefore a little defensive. Okay, a lot defensive. "What does she want? A medal? She was just doing her job." He wiped the accumulating sweat off of his brow with a shaky hand.  
  
'Okay, that's it! The gloves are off now,' Chloe thought to herself as her eyes darkened with irritation. "You need to settle down, Mr. Black," Chloe said coolly, reaching into one of the drawers and pulling out a small syringe, filling it with a yellowish liquid.  
  
"Whoa, what are you doing?" Brady asked her, reaching out for her hand to stop her task. But she deftly pulled her hand away and kept drawing up liquid. "Belle," Brady started. "Tell her to stop."  
  
"If you'll excuse us," Chloe asked the small crowd in Brady's room, an aggravated look marring her lovely face.  
  
"Don't leave," they could hear Brady pleading as they shuffled out. John nearly burst out laughing and helped herd everyone from the room, leaving Chloe and Brady alone.  
  
"Look, Nurse," he eyed her nametag and read her name. "Chloe," he started, as she turned to look at him. Suddenly, he felt something very familiar about her. Her eyes were striking, absolutely sparkling and set in this gorgeous face that could only be described as angelic.  
  
"Yes?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, swearing she could see devilish horns peaking out from under his tousled, blonde hair.  
  
"I. . ." he trailed off, lost in the swirling blue pools of her eyes. "I. . . forgot what I was going to say," he said honestly and laughed nervously. She gifted him with an incredible grin that intoxicated him and made him a little giddy. Unfortunately, she also gifted him with a sharp stick in his IV laden hand. "Ouch! Christ," he cried. "What'd you do that for?"  
  
"Get some rest, Mr. Black," she dropped the emptied syringe in the sharps container and walked briskly out of the room.  
  
"Right," Brady muttered. If only she knew how ridiculous she looked in those Marvin the Martian scrubs, trying to be so haughty. Freaking shrew.  
  
*********************  
  
Later that Day. . .  
  
Chloe worked the rest of the day angry. She tried very hard to come into contact with Brady as few times as possible. He'd needed his vital signs taken quite often but luckily the nursing assistant working today had handled it. Until now.  
  
"What a jerk," the young blonde crossed her arms over her chest after exiting Brady's room.  
  
Chloe inwardly groaned. "What is it, Judy?"  
  
"Mr. Black."  
  
"What's he done now?" Chloe sighed and closed another patient's chart.  
  
"Well, he said if I touch him with the blood pressure cuff one more time, he's going to kick me. He won't even let me take his temperature." Judy huffed and frowned, on the verge of tears.  
  
"Don't worry, Judy," Chloe sighed. "I'll take care of this." Chloe readied herself, slapping on a pair of gloves and grabbing a tube of KY Jelly, before backing into Brady's room.  
  
"Not you again," Brady muttered at the sight of her.  
  
"Yes, me again," Chloe replied, taking a glob of KY Jelly and lubricating a thin, glass rod.  
  
"What's that?" Brady peered at the red bulbed object in her gloved hands.  
  
"Roll over, Mr. Black," Chloe said flatly, not at all enamored with him in the least any longer. He'd shown his true colors this morning and they weren't very pretty. "You won't treat the nurses here with respect, you won't get respect."  
  
"You're insane," Brady's eyes widened as he realized she was holding a rectal thermometer.  
  
"And you're a pain in the ass," Chloe replied. "Roll over."  
  
"No," he protested, uneasily eyeing the slick object in her hands.  
  
"I don't want to have to call George to handle this."  
  
'Who the hell was George,' Brady thought but was certain he didn't want to find out. "This is ridiculous," Brady muttered, awkwardly twisting his body so that his back now faced Chloe. He didn't know why but he couldn't seem to deny her anything. Even if he was conceding in fear, he was conceding just the same.  
  
Chloe pushed back his open hospital gown and noted how broad and strong Brady's back was and how cute and tight his butt was. Such a shame he was such a jackass. "Okay, relax Mr. Black. This won't hurt a bit."  
  
********************  
  
A Little Later. . .  
  
"You are a witch!" Brady spat at Chloe when she'd come in to take his vitals again.  
  
"Open," she said simply and watched as he opened his mouth this time, allowing her to stick in an oral thermometer. "Thank you," she smiled sweetly. He only glared at her as she finished her work. Brady was all talk Chloe soon realized after coming in the first few times to take his vitals. He was almost cute. Almost.  
  
"What are you doing now?" he growled as he saw her draw up another syringe with a clear liquid.  
  
"You do want pain medication, don't you?" She looked him over incredulously.  
  
"I want another nurse," Brady grabbed the remote with the call button.  
  
"Don't you dare press that button," Chloe warned him, tired of his bratty attitude.  
  
"Is that a threat. . . Nurse Chloe?" He sneered.  
  
"Yes," she said simply, staring him down and grabbing his pitcher of ice water.  
  
"You wouldn't," he looked from her to the water and back at her again.  
  
"Oh, I would," she countered, nodding her head in affirmation.  
  
Never breaking eye contact he held the remote up with his good arm and pressed the call button. "Whoops," he smiled. "My hand slipped."  
  
That was it. Chloe had had enough as she held up the pitcher of ice water and poured it right over his. . . err middle area. Brady howled and cursed harshly as the ice water soaked through his hospital gown and right through to his. . . err middle area. "Mine too," Chloe spat and stuck him with the syringe, injecting him with the pain medication, before leaving the room.  
  
**********************  
  
Evening Time. . .  
  
Chloe rubbed her aching back. At last her shift was over. It had been a nightmarish day. There was one more thing she had to do but she had put it off and put it off and put it off, time and time again. It was time to change Brady's IV. 'Greeeeeat.' She couldn't wait until the doctor 'okay'- ed him for solid foods, because she was seriously considering starving him by holding out on giving him his much needed IV at all. She entered his darkened room and noticed his eyes were closed. 'Maybe he was finally sleeping. Thank God.' Chloe stood over his bed at his IV stand and went to work. She began to hum softly as she did so.  
  
"Can you not do that," Brady asked softly, his eyes still closed. She had a beautiful voice but for some reason it made him very sad. It made him think of his mother Isabella and his childhood and all that he missed by losing her. Marlena had been a good mother, yes. But sometimes he got into these wistful moods, especially after almost losing his life, which happened quite often in his line of work. But he wouldn't have it any other way. As a teenager, he'd been so malicious, so angry, so tortured. Yet as he matured, he learned to turn all that anger and all that sadness into helping others, first as a volunteer firefighter and then as a cop. His work was all he had, all he needed and all he would ever need.  
  
"Sorry, Mr. Black, I didn't realize you were up," Chloe replied quietly.  
  
"Chloe?"  
  
"Yes?" She asked, surprised by how gently he'd said her name.  
  
"Call me Brady," he said, looking up at her innocently. He certainly had a new respect for this woman. He'd known he had been absolutely unbearable today but he'd been through a lot, not that he was making excuses. But Chloe, Chloe had stuck with him. Sure, she hadn't made this the most pleasant time for him but she hadn't just walked out on him and given up like many others had before when he'd acted this way.  
  
"Okay. . . Brady," Chloe smiled at him genuinely for the first time all day.  
  
Brady gave her a lopsided grin and winked at her, closing his eyes again. 'Chloe wasn't all that bad,' Brady thought to himself, though he'd known he never thought she was so horrible to begin with.  
  
***********************  
  
Chloe clocked out for the day and grabbed her things in her locker, before making her way to the elevators to head home. But halfway to said elevators, she thought of Brady. It had taken all day but he'd finally become bearable. Chloe wondered what the harm in seeing him and saying goodbye would be. He was an okay guy. 'Just frustrated and angry,' Chloe realized as she stood before his door. She pushed it open and smiled at Brady who turned to look at her, softly smiling back. "How are you doing, Brady?"  
  
"I've been better," he murmured, turning his head away to hide his face that was flushed from having had a much needed, good cry only minutes before.  
  
"Well, that goes without saying." Chloe replied, taking the seat by his bed.  
  
He turned to look at her, not caring about his tear stained face any longer, just wanting to be left alone. "Chloe, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I wish I knew," Chloe said honestly and turned to gaze out of the window, but not before taking Brady's hand and squeezing it tightly.  
  
Brady looked down at her hand grasping his and felt his heart swell. He didn't know what it was about Chloe. He had only met the woman today. But having her here, knowing that she cared, even if she was just doing her job, touched him. "Thanks." 


	5. Chapter 5

I disclaim! Sorry it's taken me sooo long to get another chapter up but I had major writer's block. I had future chapters written but I had to fill in the blank somehow. Thank you so much for reading! Special thanks to kat and kalvana who helped dig me out of the writer's block whether they know it or not! LOL Ewww and as I am reading this, I feel this chapter might be a bit of a snoozer but I feel like I had to have it in here for obvious reasons. . . LOL  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 5: Falling In Like  
  
  
  
"Okay, okay," Chloe smiled. "You get to ask me three questions and I get to ask you three?"  
  
"Yes," Brady nodded, chuckling softly at the beaming woman sitting Indian- style on his hospital bed. It had been three days since she had stayed with him that night where neither really spoke. All Brady remembered was Chloe squeezing his hand tightly as he drifted off to sleep. He'd always been pretty uneasy in hospitals. Something about them just gave him the creeps. But Chloe had been with him every chance she got and they were at that stage now where things were fresh and new, each trying to feel the other out, discover what, if anything, they had in common.  
  
"Deal," Chloe giggled at her patient grinning madly from his place in bed.  
  
"Okay, hmmm. . ." He began. "Favorite kind of music?"  
  
"Opera, of course. Musicals. Things like that."  
  
"Of course? Big opera buff, huh?" He poked her stomach.  
  
"Yes," she batted his hand away.  
  
"Me too. So what's your favorite?"  
  
"Favorite Opera? That's easy: La Traviata. Favorite musical: Phantom of the Opera, of course. Cheesy I know, but I love it. It's timeless. Music of the Night, Think of Me, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again." She paused. "Angel of Music. . ."  
  
"Angel of Music," Brady repeated softly, a far-off look in his eyes. Why had that seemed so familiar? He cleared his throat. "So, what do-"  
  
"Oh no you don't."  
  
"What?"  
  
"That was three questions." She stood from his bed.  
  
"No it wasn't."  
  
"Uh huh. Favorite kind of music, are you an opera buff and favorite opera: three questions."  
  
Brady scoffed. "That second question doesn't count, Chloe."  
  
"Yes, it does."  
  
"Cheater."  
  
"Cheater?" She laughed. "Okay, just to show you my heart's in the right place. I will let you ask me another question." She took the seat on his bed again.  
  
"Okay, if you could do anything, be anything in this whole world, what would you do?"  
  
Chloe didn't hesitate. "I'd be doing this, Brady. I'd be nursing."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"No, Brady, there's nothing I'd rather do. Honestly. Nursing is one of the most direct ways to make an impact in someone's life. We teach doctor's everything they know," she giggled. "But seriously, I love my job, absolutely love it. For the longest time, growing up in foster homes, in the orphanage, as a young woman, I thought for sure I'd be at the Met someday. I'd be this famous opera diva and I would wow the world with my voice."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Fate." Chloe smiled. "Craig was choking on a piece of hotdog when I saved his life. It was like nothing I'd ever seen or done before. I just know that ever since then, I've felt this need to do this, to touch people's lives. . . to save them."  
  
"Fate?" His brow furrowed. "You believe in fate so strongly?"  
  
"Oh no Brady. You've had your three questions, four questions really. And now it's my turn."  
  
Brady groaned. "Whoopee."  
  
Chloe laughed. "Turn that frown upside down or I'll get George in here."  
  
"And we wouldn't want that," Brady finished for her with a smile.  
  
"No, we wouldn't," the room grew quiet as they smiled at each other. "So, Mr. Black," Chloe broke the spell. "Do you believe in fate?"  
  
"Can I make that a resounding 'no'?"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. Is that so shocking? I think most of the world believes what I do. They're just too afraid to admit it."  
  
"And what's that, oh wise one?"  
  
"That everything that happens is coincidence. We're all an accident. We're just here, living on this huge ball, flying through space. No one cares what we do or think except for the people living among us and sometimes, even they don't give a damn. Like Shakespeare said, Chloe, 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts.' In other words: You're born, you dance around for a while and then you die. "  
  
"What!? That's not what Shakespeare was saying," Chloe chuckled.  
  
"Isn't it," Brady raised his eyebrows at her, challenging her.  
  
She thought about it for a moment. "I guess it all depends on how you look at things. Glass half full, half empty kind of stuff."  
  
"And I guess you think I'm pretty pessimistic, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah," Chloe agreed, nodding. "I thought I was bad but you, sir, you take the cake."  
  
"Next question." Brady frowned, suddenly uncomfortable. He'd never really liked talking about himself. He didn't know why he was now. He should just throw her out of his room.  
  
Chloe smiled; glad to catch him off balance and wanting to see him topple. "What do you think of love?"  
  
"Kind of a broad question. That's not really fair."  
  
"Hey, now, you got your chance to ask questions. It's my turn now." Chloe poked his chest. "What do you think of love?"  
  
"There is no creature loves me, and if I die, no soul shall pity me." He said quickly and turned away from her; beating his pillow with his fist before letting his head fall into it with an ungraceful thump.  
  
"Would you stop quoting Shakespeare, Brady? God," Chloe sighed, exasperated. "Say what's in your heart. Say what you feel."  
  
"I'm tired."  
  
"Oh no," she moved to the other side of his bed to face him. "You're not getting out of this. Relax, Brady. After what you've just told me, I don't expect you give love gushing reviews."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Okay," Chloe said, after he was still silent. "What do you think of love Brady? Do you even believe in it? Do you believe in soulmates?"  
  
"That's more than three questions."  
  
"That's only so you don't try and dance your way around the question again. Call them subquestions."  
  
"Subquestions, huh?" Brady laughed but sighed, his smiling falling as he saw the serious set to Chloe's face. Why was she trying to make this conversation so deep? Why the hell did she want to know all this? "What do I think of love? I think it's a crock. Do I believe in love? No. Do I believe in soulmates? Definitely not. End of discussion." He closed his eyes. He didn't want to see the look on her face. He hated caring what other people thought of him. Chloe probably thought he was some scrooge, some grumpy old man in a young man's shoes. Why it bothered him so much, he didn't know.  
  
After the initial shock of having the man she felt was her soulmate declare those disheartening words, she recovered. "I still have one more question."  
  
"You d-" But Brady really wasn't sure how many questions she'd asked so he figured 'what the hell.' He was too tired to argue with her anyway.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why don't you believe in love? Why don't you believe in soulmates?" She had to know.  
  
"Chloe," Brady whined. "Don't you have patients to see?"  
  
"I'm off my shift, you know that."  
  
"Well don't you have to go home and wash that thick, gorgeous mass of hair of yours?" He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, something he'd wanted to do for a long time.  
  
She shuddered lightly and tried to remain unaffected. "Flattery will get you everywhere but not right now. Answer the question."  
  
He sighed, dropping back down onto his pillow. "You want to know what I think of love. My father fell in love with a beautiful woman. She had beautiful brown hair and these amazing eyes. She was kind and unique. She was an angel."  
  
"Isabella? Your mother?"  
  
"Yes." He studied his hands. "They had me. They were. . . in love," he almost spat. "And then she died." He felt himself tear up. "Less than three years later he was with Marlena and they had my sister. And I love Marlena and I love Belle but sometimes. . ." he trailed off.  
  
"Sometimes what, Brady?"  
  
"Sometimes I miss my mother. Sometimes I miss her so much it hurts. And it's like this hole, this great, big empty hole inside of me. And nothing can fill it up. Sometimes I think 'If there is God, if He is so great, then I'd have my mother back. She would have never left me.' All I heard my whole childhood was 'Brady, she's up there, looking down on you, smiling down on you, loving you.'"  
  
Chloe nodded, not sure why she was so confident. "She is."  
  
"Bullshit," Brady spat. "I can't feel it. There's nothing up there, Chloe. What does that mean, Chloe? What does it mean that my father could fall in love with another woman so easily, so quickly, as if my mother never existed?"  
  
"Brady, your father loved your mother and I'm sure a great part of him still does. But he and Marlena connected too. In their own way, they are connected too. That's possible. Do you think your mother would have wanted your father to close his heart off, never open himself up to love again just because he could lose it?"  
  
"No," Brady conceded.  
  
"Do you think your mother would have wanted you to close your heart off, because you're afraid of what might happen if you let someone in? Because you're afraid of losing that someone like your father lost Isabella?"  
  
"I guess not, but-" he tried to think of an out, an excuse, something to keep that layer of ice he'd always kept around his heart from melting. "I guess not." There really was nothing more to say.  
  
"You guess not?" Chloe smiled. "Get some sleep, Brady." She patted one of his cast bound legs.  
  
"That's what I've been trying to do." He hit her with his pillow and laughed; glad she was leaving. She made him far too uncomfortable.  
  
"Okay, okay," she jumped off of the bed and headed for the door. She couldn't help herself as she turned around to look at the man who had unknowingly awaken her heart. She leaned against his door. Could she be so bold?  
  
"Yes, Chloe, what is it?"  
  
"I believe in love, Brady. And now, I believe in soulmates. And since we're throwing around quotes here," she added quickly. "I believe that love is a sign from the heavens, that you are here for a reason." With that, she quietly left the room.  
  
Brady sighed, spent. "What the hell was that?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Chloe, Chloe, Chloe, what the hell are you doing to me?"  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC. Very soon too 'cause I think I know where I am going with this story now LOL  
  
Thanks to Shakespeare and J.Ghetto for their insightfulness LOL! 


	6. Chapter 6

I disclaim! Thanks for reading!  
  
  
  
Chapter 6: Friends or Lovers?  
  
Two Weeks Later. . . Salem University Hospital Cafeteria. . .  
  
  
  
Chloe caught herself grinning madly at the cafeteria table in Salem University Hospital. She was on her lunch break and convinced Belle to take her lunch break as well. It didn't take much convincing though, as Belle and Chloe usually tried to make it a habit of meeting for lunch. As she waited for Belle to join her, she thought about the last two weeks, filled mostly with Brady, spending time with him, getting to know him. Popping an Oreo cookie in her mouth, she thought of last night when he surprised her by calling her at home.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Chloe crashed on her couch, her feet aching from spending a tedious twelve- hour day at work. Holding a bag of Double Stuffed Oreo cookies to her chest and draping a blanket over her feet, she flipped on the TV. "Ahhhh. . . an 'I Love Lucy' marathon. Perfect." She snuggled deeper into the couch and popped an Oreo cookie into her mouth. If not for the ringing of the phone, Chloe would have happily drifted into Oreo cookie bliss. "Hello," she practically barked into the phone.  
  
"Chloe, it's me."  
  
"Brady?"  
  
"Yeah," he replied, snuggling deeper into his hospital bed. "I hope it's okay that I called."  
  
"Yeah, of course it is. I said you could call me at any time. Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, no, nothing's wrong. I was just sitting here thinking."  
  
"About?"  
  
"About us."  
  
"Us," Chloe swallowed. As far as she was miserably concerned, Brady had never given her any indication that he wanted anything more than friendship.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sitting here watching the 'I Love Lucy' marathon on TV Land-"  
  
"You're kidding. So am I."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"I swear, Brady! Lucy is filling her shirt with chocolate as we speak."  
  
"Okay, so you're not lying," he grinned.  
  
"No, I'm not. So what does 'I Love Lucy' have to do with us? 'Splain Brady, " she joked.  
  
"Well, I was watching Fred and Ethyl exchange these barbs and it just reminded me of us."  
  
"I remind you of Ethyl? A middle-aged, overweight nag?"  
  
"Well, not physically, Chloe. You do tend to nag but you are much hotter than Ethyl."  
  
"Thank you. Thank you," Chloe laughed and popped in another cookie.  
  
"So what are you wearing?" He let his voice grow unbelievably husky, too husky to be sexy.  
  
"Ha. Ha," Chloe smiled through her full mouth.  
  
"What are you eating," Brady could hear the chewing through the phone.  
  
"Nothing," Chloe's mouth snapped shut.  
  
"Seriously, what are you eating? I am starved here."  
  
"You had dinner. I saw you get your dinner this evening, Brady."  
  
"Chloe," he whined. "I can't help it when I get hungry."  
  
"Oreo cookies."  
  
"Original? Chocolate Crème? Peppermint?"  
  
"Double Stuffed."  
  
"Ahhh. . . Chloe. You're probably sitting there on your couch, freshly showered, in a black teddy, hair loose and untamed, stuffing your face with Oreo cookies. Chloe, Chloe, Chloe. . . do you know what you do to me?"  
  
"You are such a nut."  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Belle took a seat at a cafeteria table, laying her tray of salad, yogurt, and bottled water on the table. "So anyways, Shawn thinks we should go away to Cancun. But I asked him 'when am I going to get the time off.' He just doesn't understand. But men never do, do they?. . . Chloe?. . . Chloe?"  
  
"Hmm?" She stopped twirling the Oreo between her fingers.  
  
"Lemme guess. You were thinking about my brother."  
  
"Maybe a little." She blushed.  
  
"Chloe, why don't you just ask him over for dinner or something?"  
  
"Yeah Belle, I'll just sneak him out of the hospital and we can order Chinese and crack open fortune cookies on his leg casts."  
  
Belle giggled at the image of Chloe and Brady having a riot, cracking fortune cookies on his casts. "I meant when he gets out of the hospital."  
  
"It's not like that between Brady and me."  
  
"Well, tell me how it is then, because you seem really interested and so does he."  
  
"No, Brady thinks we're just friends."  
  
"And you don't," Belle finished.  
  
"No, it's not that. It's just. . . we are friends, you know? And I don't love him. I mean I've only known him for a few weeks so I have no claim on him. But it's just. . . have you ever connected with someone before? I mean, really connected. . . so that you finish each other's sentences and don't mind making a complete fool out of yourself? You almost revel in it. You just feel so comfortable in your own skin."  
  
"That's the way Shawn and I are now, but I guess we didn't start out that way."  
  
"Well, that's how it is between me and Brady now. I just feel so silly talking about it. But Brady and I just fit. I feel it. I just wish he would."  
  
"Maybe he does, Chloe."  
  
"No, I'm pretty sure Brady considers me just a friend."  
  
"Well," Belle smiled. "Look at it this way, Brady has like zero friends, so he must feel something for you."  
  
"Greeeeat," Chloe muttered, picking at the bun of her chicken sandwich. "I guess I'm just sad because maybe all that soulmate business was wrong. Maybe Brady and I are meant to be friends and that's it. I can't really complain though. I was always whining that I never could find a great guy friend. They always end up thinking I want more than friendship."  
  
"Exactly," Belle took a bite of salad. "And hey, what's meant to be is meant to be. In other words, Brady will come around eventually. He's always been a little slow," Belle joked.  
  
Chloe laughed in spite of her glum mood.  
  
****************  
  
Brady grinned as he thought about the last two weeks. He and Chloe had gotten pretty close. They talked all the time now and discovered they had quite a lot in common. Every time Chloe got a chance to talk with him she would and every time her shift was over she was in here, keeping him company, making him laugh, cheering him up. Brady often wondered if she ever went home. He'd made nice with the rest of the nursing staff as well and they all adored him now. He couldn't blame them: he was a pretty great guy. He thought back to only this morning when he and Chloe had been caught.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Oh," Chloe cried, punching Brady's good shoulder. "You cheater!" She jokingly threatened him with the infamous pitcher of water.  
  
"I am so not cheating, Chloe. You just suck at Go Fish. Which I didn't even think it was possible for anyone to suck at this, but you continue to amaze me, Chloe." Brady grinned and winked at her.  
  
"You are insufferable," Chloe shook her head at him and handed over her cards to him so that he could shuffle them.  
  
"Yeah but you love me anyway, right?"  
  
"Brady, I don't even like you," Chloe joked.  
  
Brady spread his good hand over her face. "Take it back."  
  
"No." His large hand gripping her face muffled Chloe's voice.  
  
"Break it up. Break it up," the elderly charge nurse, Marsha, walked in with John and Marlena in tow. John and Marlena smiled at the guilty looks crossing both Chloe and Brady's face.  
  
"Chloe started it," Brady joked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure," Marsha winked at a blushing Chloe. "Now, I think Chloe's got some work to finish. We don't need you patients to keep harassing our staff, Brady."  
  
"Me?" He asked and gave her his best pout.  
  
"Especially you, Brady," Marsha cocked an eyebrow at him.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Yeah, Chloe was great. And he loved that they were friends, and nothing more. It was nice not to feel so much pressure. He had never really been a ladies man, being a loner. But he certainly had a long, sordid dating history. He hadn't managed to have a close female friend without her getting the wrong idea and thinking there was more going on. With Chloe, though, he knew she was a 'what you see is what you get' kind of woman and she certainly hadn't acted as if she was interested in him in any romantic way. He loved that he could openly flirt with her, no strings attached. She was a beautiful woman after all. And Brady was pretty sure her having had to stick a thermometer up his ass was a sufficient turn off.  
  
"Hey Judy," Brady winked at the young nursing assistant who blushed in return as she brought in his dinner.  
  
"Hey Brady," she smiled as she set the tray in front of him.  
  
"Chloe busy?" He asked absently, while digging into his chicken and mashed potatoes.  
  
"No, your girlfriend will be in to see you soon," she teased.  
  
"Girlfriend?" Brady chuckled at the immaturity of the young woman but felt the need to correct her anyhow. "She's just a friend."  
  
"Right," Judy nodded, smiling knowingly. "Just tell Chloe that."  
  
Brady nearly chocked on his chicken. "What is that supposed to mean?" He wiped his lips with the back of his hand.  
  
"As if you don't know she's absolutely, positively in love with you. Come on, everybody on the floor knows that."  
  
"Chloe?" Brady asked, wide-eyed.  
  
"No, Brady, the baker," Judy replied sarcastically. "You really are such a dunce." She chuckled as she left the room.  
  
Brady frowned, suddenly not very hungry. Chloe was in love with him? How had he not seen this!? How was he supposed to handle this?  
  
"Brady."  
  
Brady's head snapped up as his eyes bugged out. "Dr. Wesley, what are you doing here?"  
  
Craig Wesley cocked his head to the side, aware of Brady's obvious anxiety. "Are you okay, Brady? Staff treating you right?"  
  
"Fantastic," he grinned, his smile falling as he thought of his words and what he'd just learned. "Not too fantastic, though. I mean they're not doing anything they shouldn't. Patient-Staff lines have not been crossed," he stumbled over his words and punctuated them with a nervous smile.  
  
"How's Chloe doing?"  
  
"How would I know?" He said slowly, trying to sound as innocent as possible, not knowing why the hell he felt so guilty.  
  
"She does care for you."  
  
"She does?"  
  
"She's your nurse, Brady. Of course she does."  
  
"Right, right and she's doing a great job. . . but not too good of a job," he added quickly.  
  
"Riiiiight. You know what? I think I'll come back later. I'm going to let you eat, 'cause you look a little pale." He felt Brady's forehead with the back of his hand.  
  
"Really? I hadn't noticed."  
  
"Uh, okay Brady. I'll be back later." He strode toward the door but stopped and turned back around, making his way over to him again. "I just wanted to say when I heard what happened to you, Brady I. . ." Craig trailed off. "I remembered when you were a young punk kid having to volunteer at the hospital for punishment. And now you're a man and it's just. . . you were always like a son to me. Come here, buddy" Craig pulled a stunned, silent Brady into a bear hug.  
  
"Ow," Brady muttered when Craig pulled away.  
  
"Sorry, I forgot about your shoulder."  
  
"Hey, it's fine, Dr. Wesley. What are you gonna do, right?"  
  
"No," Craig shook his head. "I should have known better. I'm a doctor."  
  
"It's okay. I'm all right. It's already out of the sling." He swung his arm about and abruptly stopped, cursing at the pain under his breath.  
  
"I'll just let Chloe know." Craig winked at a wide-eyed Brady. "She'll take a look at it."  
  
Brady watched Craig leave the room and let his head fall back on his pillow. "Shit."  
  
TBC. . . 


	7. Chapter 7

Sorry for being so slow! :( I have the next chapter pretty much written too so I will be posting that soon. But I feel like I am all over the place with this story :-\ LOL  
  
  
  
  
  
Oh and I disclaim!!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 7: Complications  
  
Brady banged the back of his head against his pillow as he thought about what Judy, the young nursing assistant had revealed to him. Chloe was in love with him. How was he supposed to handle this. . . not that Chloe wasn't a beautiful woman. And God, Brady was sure he felt a strong pull to her but no; this was a bad thing. It would never work. He lived in Chicago and she lived in Salem. And he had his work. He had his life, everything in Chicago. And getting to know Chloe the last few weeks, he discovered she felt the same way. Her work, her life as it was now, was everything to her. Love would just complicate things and screw everything up. "Love," Brady whispered. The word did not roll of his tongue easily. They were very stubborn people and Brady was sure that by making a try at something more would fail. Hell, all that crap was irrelevant because they barely knew each other anyway. This wasn't some Hollywood, formulaic romantic comedy where people fall in love in the blink of an eye and they live happily ever after, riding off into the sunset in a pink Cadillac adorned in white crape paper and tassels. She had just been a good friend. Someone he felt that he could confide in, no strings attached. How could he risk that for a few kisses and nights of sex, albeit hot sex, but sex that they'd both end up regretting?  
  
She couldn't be in love with him really, not really, not after two short weeks. She probably just had a crush on him, which was fine. Brady was no stranger to crushes; they were harmless. "Right, so relax Brady," he told himself.  
  
"Hey Brade," Chloe entered the room and smiled at the man who had become a great friend. She really liked Brady. I mean really liked him. He was such a goof. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to think she was in love with him, even Belle joked with her about it. Worse than that, Brady was just a horribly bratty patient and a good friend- a really gorgeous, sexy friend but JUST a friend.  
  
"Chloe," Brady smiled uneasily, pushing his tray away from him as he eyed her in her light blue scrubs.  
  
Chloe scrunched her face at the bizarre way Brady was looking at her. "Brady," Chloe mocked him. "You okay? You look a little pale."  
  
"Who? Me?"  
  
Chloe only laughed at him. "Not hungry today, huh?" She asked as she eyed his still full plate. "If you're still bummed about being here, I think your doctor's going to let you go home in a few days."  
  
"That'd be nice," Brady gave her another uncomfortable grin. Gosh, she was pretty.  
  
"Guess that means going home to Chicago," Chloe said sadly, plopping down on his bed.  
  
"Right. Chicago. Right." Brady swallowed.  
  
"I'll miss you," she bit her lip nervously, looking at him.  
  
"Hey, I'll visit," he looked down at his cup of Jell-O and smiled, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Yeah I know. I mean you have family here and everything: John, Marlena, Belle and Shawn." she trailed off.  
  
Brady tilted his head to try and meet her eyes. "Hey, you know what I meant by that. I'll visit you."  
  
Chloe looked up and met his gaze. "Brady. . ." she trailed off wondering where to begin. "I want to tell you something." She wanted to start their friendship out right by explaining this ridiculous soulmate theory Mimi had almost roped Chloe into believing. Because it was all just so ridiculous. They weren't soulmates. She just had to convince herself of that.  
  
'Oh God,' Brady thought. 'She's going to tell me she's in love with me.'  
  
"I feel so foolish saying this but. . ." she blew out a breath. "Oh why don't I just come right out with it and say it, right?" Brady was silent, wide-eyed. "Well, I had been feeling odd awhile back and I consulted a deck of tarot cards Mimi had given me last year for my twenty-fifth birthday. I'm not really into that stuff but lately, it's been helpful. And uhhh. . . the angel card kept coming up and I didn't know what the hell it meant."  
  
She knew she was rambling and probably not making much sense but she didn't see any other way to get this out. She paused. If Brady's eyes got any wider she was certain they would pop out of his head. "You okay?" He nodded, silent. "Okay, so then you come into my life and although you were unconscious and broken and beaten and all that, I felt a connection to you- "  
  
"A connection?"  
  
Chloe nodded. "An attraction."  
  
"An attraction," he repeated her again.  
  
"Right and well then Mimi tells me the tarot card that kept popping up meant. . . love. And it's not that I love you or anything, because I don't," she finished quickly.  
  
Brady nodded curtly, trying to follow her train of thought.  
  
"But it's just. . . I mean. . . she's convinced we are soulmates. . . which is just ridiculous," Chloe laughed nervously.  
  
Brady's eyes narrowed, suddenly on the defensive. "Why is that ridiculous?" Had he just said that out loud?  
  
"Are you serious?" She looked at him, shocked.  
  
'No. No. No. No.' "Yes, why is that ridiculous?" Brady couldn't seem to help himself.  
  
"Well, I guess it's not that ridiculous but Brady we barely know each other."  
  
"Right," he shook his head, laughing lightly. "Right. So why are you telling me all this?"  
  
"Honestly? I'm not sure. I mean, I guess I want you to know that we're friends, only friends. And that despite hospital gossip, you don't have to worry about me thinking that we're anything more."  
  
"Oh, please, I didn't believe them when they said you were in love with me anyway," Brady scoffed, lying through his teeth. Part of him was jumping up and down inside with relief and the other part wanted to kiss Chloe's lips off, make her see how good they could be together.  
  
"They said that?" Chloe blushed.  
  
"Yeah but hey, all that matters is that we know we're just friends. . . nothing more," he added, reassuring not only Chloe but also himself.  
  
"Exactly," Chloe grinned. "God, this feels good to get this off of my chest," she reached out to hug him when she accidentally knocked his Jell-O cup onto the floor. Luckily, it was sealed with foil, preventing a wobbly green mess. "Oops, I'll get that." Chloe leaned down, clumsily bumping her head on his nightstand. "Ow, sh&t!"  
  
"Ooh, Chlo, you okay?" Brady reached for her face as she kneeled on the floor by the side of his bed, her head down. "Here let me take a look at that," he gripped her chin in his hand. "It's bleeding." He moved his hand across her face to cup her head and run his thumb along the injured area. "Does it hurt really badly?"  
  
Chloe could only stare at his concerned face as he inspected her injury. 'God, he is so f&cking gorgeous and sexy and sweet and ugh, I want him,' she thought to herself.  
  
"Chloe?" He made eye contact with her. "You okay? Can you hear me?"  
  
"Uh huh." She answered, staring at his lips, then eyes and lips again.  
  
"Chloe," he said softly, knowing what she was thinking. Their lips were centimeters apart, when Brady pulled back far enough to look into her eyes. "Chloe, we're friends, right?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded, still intoxicated buy the smooth sound of his voice and his soft breath on her face.  
  
"And that means we don't complicate things." He broke eye contact with her.  
  
"Right," she snapped out of her trance, letting Brady's words sink in. "Right." She halfheartedly pulled away from him, embarrassed, and stood up, trying to compose herself by smoothing down her scrubs. "Yes."  
  
"You should get someone to take care of your head," he pointed to her bleeding forehead, hoping she'd leave the room to ease his intense discomfort with her presence.  
  
"Right," Chloe held her forehead and inelegantly backed out of the room. 'But who will take care of my heart,' she thought miserably to herself.  
  
Brady let his head hit his pillow with a loud thump. "Oh boy," he sighed. "Women always have to complicate things," he muttered miserably to himself. Why was this bothering him so much though? "I just want friendship, right?" Right. "But Chloe, beautiful, silly, doe-eyed Chloe, wants more."  
  
  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading!!!! :) I hope someone is still reading anyway LOL 


	8. Chapter 8

Here is the next Chapter! TY to Manda for helping me sort out where this story will eventually go! Great ideas girl!!! ;)  
  
  
  
I disclaim!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 8: A Good Investment  
  
  
  
The Next Morning.  
  
"You just quit!? Just like that," Brady stared at Jason incredulously. Jason had just informed Brady that he was retiring from the force.  
  
"Yeah man, I just gave 'em my notice."  
  
"Just like that?"  
  
"Yeah and actually, I'm staying in Salem now. Mimi found me a great place. I'm really digging her, man." He had the audacity to blush. He'd only just met Mimi but they had really hit it off.  
  
"Meems. You and Meems. . . happily ever after, right?" He sneered bitterly. "Jase. . . I don't even know what to say," Brady ran his good hand through his hair. How could Jason turn on the police force like that? Did he not care about his job at all? Did helping people, protecting them not interest him anymore?  
  
"Look, Brady, I know you're disappointed in me, wondering how I could just seemingly give up like that-"  
  
"That's exactly right. You're giving up. You're-"  
  
"Not giving up. I'm just trying to live my life. When I was shot and my life flashed before my eyes and I thought I was going to die. . ." he trailed off. "There was nothing worse than that feeling. Nothing. Brady, when I die I don't want to have any regrets. I want more from my life. I want to live it, really live it and." He blew out a very frustrated breath. "I just don't know how to explain it."  
  
"Obviously," Brady spat, turning away from his friend.  
  
"I'll see ya later, Brady," Jason stood, figuring he'd give Brady some time to get over his announcement. "And Brady thanks, for always being there and for saving my life."  
  
*********************  
  
"But Nancy thinks it's a good thing. I don't know. I just think getting the George Foreman grill is a much better investment. You agree with me, right Chloe?" Craig Wesley chatted on at his desk, seemingly oblivious to Chloe's disinterest.  
  
"Oh really?" Chloe played with the hem of her black shirt and rubbed her hands on her jeans. "That's nice, Craig."  
  
Crossing his arms over his chest and getting cozy in his chair, Craig frowned at his daughter. She was definitely different today. "So I think Brady may be discharged today," Craig said nonchalantly, looking at his daughter for her reaction.  
  
Chloe's head snapped up at the mention of Brady's name. "Brady?"  
  
"Chloe, why don't you just go and see him? Did you two have a fight or something?" Craig had known how close his step daughter and Brady Black had grown over the last few weeks and was hoping something more was going on between them but he thought it was all just wishful thinking. . . until now.  
  
"No. It's my day off and sometimes I want a break from things. Don't I deserve a break Craig?" Chloe's chin quivered and she bit her lip, hoping to bite back her tears. Ugh, she hated this. She hated that that near kiss in Brady's room threw her for an emotional loop. She hated that she wanted more and she barely knew him. She hated that he wasn't interested. So she didn't want to see Brady. She never wanted to see Brady again!  
  
"Chloe, just go and see him. You'll feel a whole lot better. I mean, you guys have become friends right? I'm sure Brady will come in from Chicago to visit from time to time."  
  
"I'm sure he will," Chloe cried and let the tears fall.  
  
*********************  
  
"So," Dr. Colin Murphy smiled at Brady, who was seated in a wheelchair in his hospital room, dressed in sweat shorts and a plain white shirt. "Looks like I am giving you the okay to go home."  
  
"That's great, Doc. Thanks." Brady only stared straight ahead, his mind obviously on SOMEONE else.  
  
"Will someone be driving you back to Chicago?"  
  
"No, Dr. Murphy, I'll be driving myself," Brady replied sarcastically, gesturing to both of his legs wrapped tightly in their off-white casts.  
  
"Sometimes, you really can be a pissface, Brady," Colin walked out briskly.  
  
"Don't I know it," Brady muttered to himself.  
  
"Ready to go home?" Belle peeked her head in the door and gave her brother one of those too f*cking perky grins.  
  
"Sure," Brady murmured, trying to give Belle and Mimi a smile as they strolled in talking about how good the weather had been and the great fall sale at Ballistix.  
  
"I don't know but I am loving this cold weather," Mimi sighed, peeking out of Brady's window. "I am loving everything lately."  
  
"Ooh," Belle teased. "I'm sure Jason has a little to do with that."  
  
"Just a little," Mimi blushed.  
  
Belle tried to meet her brother's weary gaze when he didn't appear too interested in anything they had to say. "It's her day off, Brady."  
  
"It never stopped her from visiting before," Brady murmured, looking at his left arm in its sling.  
  
"Brady, stop sulking. This is all your fault." Mimi sighed, slapping a stunned Brady's back. "You really hurt her when you rejected her after the near miss kiss yesterday. You know that as well as I do."  
  
"How do you know about that?" Brady demanded, his brow furrowing.  
  
Mimi and Belle exchanged a look.  
  
"Because I told them," Chloe walked into his room, a small smile on her face. "Hi Brady," Chloe said softly, giving him a little wave.  
  
Brady only stared at her. Though he was cheering inside, ecstatic to see her, he'd never reveal that to her. So he ignored her, just ready to go home, and turned to look at his now empty bed.  
  
Chloe only shook her head and smiled. "Could you excuse us guys?" When Belle and Mimi left the room, Chloe took a seat on Brady's bed, in his field of vision. "Brady. Brady, look at me." He did and his frown only grew more miserable. "Would you stop with that face," she laughed nervously. "Brady, God, look I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't visit you sooner but I'm here now. . . you big baby." She added, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"How's your head?" Brady asked, rolling his eyes and turning away from her.  
  
"Why don't you just look and see for yourself," she smiled and smoothed back her hair to show him. He did. "See Brady? Just a little cut. Nothing's broken."  
  
"You're sure," Brady asked meekly, taking her hand in his one good one and rubbing his thumb across her knuckles tenderly.  
  
"Uh huh," was all Chloe could say as she looked into those childlike eyes, the ones that had haunted her for weeks, the ones she was now convinced would haunt her forever.  
  
"Good. I'm glad," Brady turned away from her again and released her hand, running his hand through his hair. God, he was going to miss her. He hated that cared about someone he barely knew. He hated that he cared about anybody at all. He wasn't meant to love anyone, not romantically anyway. He'd had a few experiences with love and they had been brief and unimpressive. He never really saw himself wanting to commit to anybody. And then Chloe had to come into his life, with those damn doe eyes and that amazing voice and her clumsiness and her cartoon scrubs and all that crap about soulmates. He couldn't even look at her.  
  
"You going back to Chicago?" She studied his profile and longed to run her hands through that hair.  
  
He nodded. "Later tonight, after Shawn gets off of work, he's going to drive me." His jaw clenched. He hated depending on people. He'd always taken care of himself.  
  
"So, now that Jason's here, in Salem, who's going to take care off you there, in Chicago?" She studied her hands and felt herself begin to tear up at the thought of Brady in a whole other city. A month ago, she barely knew this man existed and now. . . now she didn't know what was happening.  
  
Brady only shrugged looking at her out of the corner of his eye, wanting to launch himself into her arms and beg her to ask him to stay but he was too proud to do so. He maneuvered his wheelchair around to fully face her and really look at her one last time. "I'm going to miss you, Chloe."  
  
Chloe felt her eyes well up with tears again. "I'm going to miss you, too." The tears ran unheeded down her cheeks.  
  
"Chloe, don't cry. I don't mean to make you cry. Please," he pleaded with her, and cupped her cheek in his hand.  
  
Chloe threw herself into Brady's good arm, being mindful of his opposite hurt shoulder. "You always make me cry, Brady," she laughed as the tears continued to spill down her cheeks.  
  
"Oh, well, geez, that's nice," Brady joked, rubbing her back and burying his face in her hair, inhaling deeply, trying to bottle this moment.  
  
Chloe let out a breath and pulled back to look Brady in the face. Their faces were inches apart. "Brady, don't go to Chicago."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't go to Chicago. Stay here in Salem." She caressed his face. "Just until you're all healed up," she reasoned. "Stay here in Salem. . . with m- with Jason. He just moved in down the hall from me so. . ." She couldn't believe she sounded so desperate but she was. "I mean what are friends for, right?"  
  
"Chloe," Brady started, but she cut him off with her finger on his lips.  
  
"Please?" She pleaded, not ready to see him disappear from her life just yet. "Stay with Jason. Stay with anyone. Just. . . stay."  
  
Brady nodded. Who was he to deny her anything? Plus, it was just as well. He'd found out today that his commander thought it might be better if he took some time off anyway-for his "well-being." Though, Brady knew the real reason: His boss wanted him away from Chicago while this seaport scandal died down. He hadn't joined the force to do dirty work for some crooked old cronies. He needed to get away from this for awhile and if Chloe, the woman he'd come to adore these passed few weeks, wanted to offer him an out, by all means, why not take it? Well, that was what he told himself anyway. "Okay. Okay, I'll stay. Just don't cry, okay?" he laughed nervously.  
  
"Yes," Chloe sighed happily and came around behind him to wheel his chair from the room.  
  
*********************  
  
Brady and Chloe decided to settle in her place until Jason got back from whatever errands he was running. Brady certainly hoped Jason wouldn't mind his moving in. After all, things between them had been left a little strained since this morning.  
  
"So, how do you like it?" Chloe asked, wringing her hands together apprehensively. She didn't know why she cared so much what Brady thought of this place, but she did.  
  
"That's a loaded question," Brady muttered quietly, wheeling his chair around the loft sizing up the place. It was a nice place, familiar.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Uh, nothing Chloe." He cleared his throat. "I think this place looks great. I don't know why but it feels really familiar. Like I've been here before." He shuddered, getting a powerfully intimate feeling with the place. Had he been here before?  
  
"Actually," Chloe began. "I think you've been here before."  
  
Now it was Brady's turn to say "Huh?"  
  
"Well, I bought this place from your father a few years ago when I was just a kid wanting to get out of my parent's house. And if I remember right, he said he used to live here with you and your mother, Isabella."  
  
Brady was speechless as he took another look around the loft. At first he'd thought maybe it was just the loft and it feeling like home because at one time it was but maybe it was more than that, maybe he felt so complete because he was here. . . with Chloe. 'Fate.' The word popped into his head and he sighed and shook his head as if to shake the word and the thoughts that came with it away. 'Stop, Brady,' he told himself.  
  
"Brady," Chloe touched his shoulder. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
Brady looked at her and felt himself falling for her and he hated it and loved it all at the same time. "I was just thinking. . . I'm starved."  
  
Chloe laughed. "Oh, well that's easily taken care of." She strolled into the kitchen and pulled out a box of 'Lucky Charms,' shaking the box in his face. "Yummy."  
  
"Only you would think so, Chloe." He smiled as he watched her make him a bowl.  
  
"Ugh, lie. Bachelors like you probably have boxes of this stuff just bursting out of your pantries."  
  
"No, way," he accepted the bowl, carefully placing it in his lap and wheeling over to the couch to flip on the TV. "Only 'Fruity Peebles' in my house."  
  
Chloe plopped down on the couch with a bowl of cereal for herself. "Well, you're in my house for now, Black, so you better get used to it."  
  
"Of course," Brady smiled through a mouth full of cereal, glad to not have to discuss that almost kiss just yet, though knowing it was only a matter of time.  
  
"Gross," Chloe threw a marshmallow at him.  
  
"Well, I am so you better get used to it."  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading!!! :) 


	9. Chapter 9

All I have to say is sometimes ff.net can be a real p.i.a! LOL  
  
  
  
  
  
I disclaim! Thanks for reading!!! :)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 9: Food, Glorious Food  
  
Weeks passed. Brady and Jason having patched things up and Brady having moved in with him. It was like old times.  
  
Brady and Chloe had grown even closer, though never crossing the line of friendship, despite teasing by their friends that more was going on than met the eye. In her spare time, Chloe helped rehab Brady back to health. He had finally gotten rid of the sling, his shoulder having healed dramatically; and he was now able to use crutches, the break in his left leg not having been as bad as the right.  
  
Brady watched Jason and Mimi cuddle on the couch and rolled his eyes, as they began kissing. The three of them WERE watching a movie, only it seemed now Brady was the only one doing the watching. "Guys, cut it out or get a room," he muttered.  
  
"Room," Jason and Mimi replied, simultaneously, rising from the couch and high tailing it to Jason's room, their hands never leaving the other's body.  
  
"Thanks," Brady muttered sarcastically. Alone now, his mind drifted. . . to Chloe. He took a peek at his watch, figuring she should be home by now. He debated calling her but decided against it. Maybe he was smothering her. Maybe she liked to be smothered. Was it even possible to smother just a friend? 'Ahhh. . .' He flipped the television channel and tried to relax. He didn't have to see Chloe every night. After all, he didn't want her getting the wrong idea. Brady wiped his brow trying to concentrate on the episode of 'Fantasy Island.' Chloe did a good a really good impression of Tattoo. He could almost hear her now mimicking the little Latin's voice and accent: 'The plane, boss, the plane.' He couldn't help but chuckle. "Food," Brady sighed. "I should eat something." Anything to get his mind off of Chloe.  
  
He grabbed his crutches and pulled himself off of the chair, hopping his way over to the kitchen. Pulling open the fridge, he gasped. "Leftover pizza and beer. How shocking!" A bummed Brady turned back around to look at the empty loft, hearing the rhythmic thumping coming from Jason's room. "Now that just isn't right."  
  
He couldn't help but picture Chloe and himself in the midst of sex, her head thrown back in pure pleasure as he made violent love to her. He had to wipe his suddenly slack mouth and try and think logically. "Chloe's just a friend. Chloe's just a friend." But what guy didn't fantasize about sleeping with his female friends? "No guy," Brady answered. But with Chloe, he fantasized about her all the time. All the time. So much so that he often had to pull a pillow over his lap when engrossed in simple, innocent conversation with her.  
  
Nothing about Chloe was innocent though. She was a flaming, sexy woman, with marvelous blue eyes that often sparked with great passion and mischief. 'She is a goddess. She is single. She's right there. Ready and willing and ripe for the taking,' he thought to himself.  
  
"Stop it, Brady," he said loud. The ringing of his phone broke into his strange and tortured string of thoughts. "Black here."  
  
"Hey Brady," Chloe sighed into the phone and sunk deeper into her puffy, black couch. Still in her scrubs, she couldn't wait to call him. In the weeks that had passed, Chloe discovered she was more than attracted to Brady. She loved him. She was in love with him as crazy as it sounded. She wanted to be with him. It was all just so sudden and so very crazy. But just being near him satisfied her. Though, his mere presence alone was enough to drive her insane with lust and want. "What are you up to?"  
  
"Just about to eat," he leaned against the wall, loving the sound of her voice, feeling himself grow hard just thinking about her all alone in her apartment. Oh, the things he could do to her.  
  
"Without moi," Chloe asked.  
  
"Yeah well, I didn't want to-. I mean. . . I thought about you- it. . . the food. I was just really hungry," he stumbled out and lightly banged his head against the wall in frustration.  
  
"Oh, I see," she frowned. She could take a hint. He was probably sick of her. He'd only just spent every night of the passed few weeks with her. "Well, uh, don't let me stop you then."  
  
"Wait, Chloe! Uh, I was just going to eat some leftovers but if you need the company. . . I can be over there in five minutes and we can order some Chinese."  
  
"Chinese again? That's two nights in a row, Brady. You aren't sick of it yet?"  
  
"Yeah well, I am a man who knows what he wants and when I find something I like, I can't help but stick to it."  
  
"Okay then." Chloe smiled slyly. "I'm just going to go freshen up but I'm going to leave the door unlocked for you. Just come on in and order me some vegetable fried rice."  
  
"You got it."  
  
"Okay." Chloe grinned.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Bye Brady."  
  
"See ya," he put down the phone and grinned.  
  
Chloe pulled her hair from her scrunchy and made her way over to her bathroom to take a shower. She smelled of Lysol and latex, not that she didn't adore smelling of the hospital but she was pretty certain Brady would like a more sweet smell for a change. Time to bring out the big guns,' Chloe thought to herself, bringing out a bottle of Victoria's Secret 'Passionate Kisses' body wash.  
  
Grabbing a tank top and pair of boxers off of the dresser, her magic 8 ball caught her eye. She didn't really believe in this thing but it was a gift from Mimi and worth a shot. She picked up the ball and shook it. God was she relieved Belle and Mimi weren;t around to see her stooping to this. "Are Brady and I meant to be? I mean really and truly meant to be?" She didn't care how foolish she sounded. She turned it over and smiled at the 8 ball's answer: "Without a doubt."  
  
************************  
  
"Oh, I am so fat," Chloe muttered, looking around at the empty cartons of Chinese food from her place on the floor leaning against the couch alongside Brady.  
  
He reached out and patted her leg, exposed because of the boxers she wore. "You've got some meat on your bones. Nothing wrong with that."  
  
"Thanks. . . I think."  
  
"No problem," Brady replied, winking at her.  
  
Both were quiet as they quote unquote let their food digest. Without haste, Brady pulled a cushion off of the couch, covered his lap and closed his eyes, trying to relax with the blushing beauty at his side. He couldn't help it but he got the definite feeling Chloe was in love with him and it scared the shit out of him. It wasn't an ego thing either. He could just tell, especially the way she kept touching him tonight and the flirting didn't seem as innocent.  
  
Chloe frowned. All Brady ever did was eat and sleep. Sure, he was awfully cute filled up on food and tired. His eyes kind of got that glazed look and his cheeks flushed. But dammit, she was growing impatient. She wanted a little action. Too bad Brady thought she and he together was the most preposterous concept in the world. She thought back to something that had only occurred the week before. It seemed their friends couldn't re-tell the story enough. . .  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Belle, Shawn and Mimi rode the elevators up to Chloe and Jason's floor. Meeting Jason in the hallway, he informed them that Brady was probably at Chloe's, as Brady seemed to spend most of his time there. All four stopped before the door, jaws dropping as they listened to the voices inside.  
  
"Give it to me, Brady! I want it now!" Chloe could be heard yelling.  
  
"No way Chloe. You want it, you're going to have to come and get it!"  
  
"Ugh, I just got off of work and I need to play with it and you're really pissing me off!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Back outside the loft door.  
  
  
  
"Oh my God," Belle gasped. "What the hell are they doing in there," she whispered.  
  
"What do you think?" Shawn grinned.  
  
"Shawn, How can you-"  
  
"Shhhh. . ." Jason hushed her.  
  
  
  
  
  
Inside the loft.  
  
  
  
"What? You think you can just get it any time you want it, Chloe? It doesn't work that way. If you want it so bad, they have places you can go to and pay a small fee."  
  
"Why would I do that when I have yours here?"  
  
Back outside the loft door.  
  
"Whoa ho ho," Mimi chuckled. "Go Chloe."  
  
"Mimi," Belle gave her friend a disapproving look.  
  
"What? It was only a matter of time. I'm just wondering how they're handling this, what with both legs of Brady's legs broken and everything."  
  
"Obviously NOT everything," Shawn chuckled.  
  
  
  
  
  
Inside the loft.  
  
  
  
"Ouch! Dammit Chloe! When I agreed to stay in Salem, I did not agree to this!"  
  
"Ugh!" Chloe grunted in reply.  
  
"Jesus, Chloe! You're going to break it if you handle it like that."  
  
  
  
  
  
Back outside the loft door.  
  
  
  
Belle groaned. "This is ridiculous. I'm just going to walk in."  
  
"Perv," Jason muttered.  
  
Belle slid the loft door open and all four friends nearly fell over each other in hopes of catching Brady and Chloe wherever they were and whatever they were doing.  
  
"What the hell?" Brady cocked an eyebrow at his friends as sat leaning back on the couch, holding a remote control over his head, Chloe draped over him, trying to rip it from his hands. "Hey, what are you guys doing here? Wanna play 'Space Invaders?'"  
  
"Ugh," Chloe huffed and gave up, plopping next to Brady and forcibly pushing his crutches to the floor. "You'll let them play but you won't let me."  
  
"Chloe, you've played with it enough. You're becoming addicted," he tried to reason with her and held the remote away from her again when she tried to snatch it.  
  
"Video games," Belle cried. "You were and are discussing video games!?"  
  
"Belle," Brady started cautiously and pulled his crutches up from the floor, standing and making his way over to his sister and smiling friends. "Belle, are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine, I'm just. . . ugh, you two really suck." She swept passed him and took a seat next to a giggling Chloe who was still dressed in her scrubs from work and happily killing virtual aliens from the planet Garpa.  
  
"She just thought you two were uhh. . . knockin' da boots as they say," Jason chuckled and took a seat next to Mimi.  
  
"Who? Me and Chloe?" Brady laughed and shook his head as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Brady watched Chloe, as she appeared to be deep in thought. He childishly wondered if maybe she was thinking of him. She was just so beautiful and kind and real. Though, she was so exquisite he sometimes wondered if he ever got the courage to touch her, really touch her, would she break into a million pieces. She was an angel. She was perfect, too good to be true. He had to have her. "What are you thinking about?"  
  
Chloe's eyes snapped open, blue meeting blue. She was stunned into silence, watching Brady's sparkling eyes gaze at her so intently. She couldn't tell him the truth. The truth would be too humiliating and it'd be opening up a can of worms she wasn't sure she wanted exposed just yet. So she said the only thing she could think of: "Cheese."  
  
"Cheese," he repeated her incredulously. "You were thinking about cheese?"  
  
"Well. . . ugh uhh. . . I mean there are so many kinds of cheese."  
  
"I guess so." He nodded slowly.  
  
"Brie, Parmesan, Swiss, American. . ."  
  
"Cheddar."  
  
"Cheddar," Chloe repeated him, nodding her head. "Though I've always been partial to goat cheese."  
  
"Have you?" Brady chuckled.  
  
"Yes." She rolled her eyes. "Something wrong with goat cheese?"  
  
"I guess I haven't really thought about it."  
  
She turned away from him. "Figures."  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's wrong? What'd I say?" Brady held up his hands in question.  
  
"You never have to say anything," she sneered.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"So you don't like goat cheese. I get it. I mean who does anyway, right?" She felt herself tear up. "It's weird." She sniffled. "It's. . . smelly."  
  
"Is it?" Brady asked.  
  
"Oh right, like you haven't noticed."  
  
"Chloe-"  
  
"Goat cheese is really good you know? I mean it may not look so good at first glance or sound so good when you first hear it-"  
  
"Hear cheese-?"  
  
"-But if you would just give it a chance, maybe you'd like it."  
  
"Chloe? We aren't really talking about cheese anymore are we?"  
  
"Ugh," she beat her head with a spare couch cushion and stormed off to her room. "Be sure and lock the door when you leave!"  
  
Brady shook his head in confusion as he left Chloe's. This is exactly why he didn't want to get involved with her. He knew it would just complicate things. Hell, he hadn't even kissed her yet and already they were fighting like some old married couple. "What does she want from me," he asked aloud as he entered his loft.  
  
"I think you know the answer to that," Jason stood at the fridge, pulling out the box of pizza and a beer.  
  
"Okay, but what do I do about it?"  
  
"Well, you have two choices. You can either pretend you don't know what she wants and both of you can go on in agony. Or you can admit to her that you do know and that you want the same thing." He laid the food on the counter.  
  
"But do I?" Brady asked aloud, though he knew the answer.  
  
"Come on Brady. You telling me you don't want more than friendship with Chloe?"  
  
"I do," he sighed sadly. "I do want to be with Chloe."  
  
"Well, what's stopping you? Jesus, you two are frustrating."  
  
Brady plopped onto the couch, leaning back after setting his crutches on the floor. "I know it sounds irrational and strange but I feel like if I get too close to her, I'm going to lose her and I can't take that."  
  
"I hate to break it to you Brady but you and Chloe are already just about as close as two people can be, without crossing that line between intimacy and friendship of course."  
  
"I know," Brady buried his face in his hands. "And you have no idea how badly I wanna cross that line."  
  
"So cross it, Brady. Now I'd love to stay and chat but Mimi's waiting for her luva to return. Night man." He picked up the beer and pizza and made his way back to his room. "  
  
"Night Jase," Brady chuckled. He let the back of his head fall against the couch. It would be so easy to go over to Chloe's right now and take her into his arms and. . . no. Brady needed to take care of this. The sooner he got over Chloe and she him, the better. Reluctantly, he picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. "Hello Henderson?"  
  
  
  
TBC. Thanks for reading!!! 


	10. Chapter 10

I disclaim! Sorry so long since an update BUT with Broe going so well on the show. . . I dunno, it's hard to write. Hope you like this chapter! Thanks for reading! :)  
  
Chapter 10: Say Uncle!  
  
Brady needed to take care of this. The sooner he got over Chloe and she him, the better. Reluctantly, he picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number. "Hello Henderson?. . . Uh yeah. Good to hear from you too. . . Look, I think I heard Philip was back in town. Is that right?. . . Good, good. . . Can I speak to him please?. . . Alright thanks."  
  
Brady sighed, wondering if he was doing the right thing.  
  
"Hello?" Philip Kiriakis spoke into the receiver. "Brady?"  
  
"Philip!" Brady hadn't spoken to his uncle in years. They'd always gotten along. . . fairly well. "Hey man, how's it going?"  
  
"Good, I guess. I just got back in town about a week ago. I thought you were in Chicago."  
  
"You've been out of Salem far too long Phil," he grinned. "What's it been like five years, man?"  
  
"Six actually. I've been away in California. Hollywood. Great place. I've got a great house in the Hills."  
  
Brady rolled his eyes. For a guy that changed his hair as many times as the wind blew and went through fashion trends faster than his precious Jag, Philip had one thing about him that never changed: he was still the most self-absorbed, high maintenance guy on the face of the Earth. "So what have you been up to?"  
  
"Besides souping up my Jag? Oh the usual. . . working, partying. But Jesus, you gotta get a load of my Jag. She's hot."  
  
"That's great. Will do, man," Brady lied. Suddenly, Brady wondered what the hell he was doing. How could he ever think that he could possibly set up Philip and Chloe? They were from two different worlds. "So anyways, I was actually shot and hit by a car. That's what I'm doing back in Salem."  
  
"Shot? That's a bitch," Philip chuckled. "So, is that why you called? You wanna get a beer or something?"  
  
"Uh, no actually. Ummm. . ." The knocking at the door interrupted him, saving him and giving him time to think of an excuse. Because there was just no way he could do this to Chloe. "Hold up for a second. There's someone at the door." Brady awkwardly stood, grasping his crutches and placing the cordless phone down on the couch. "Just a second," he called out. He made his way over to the door and slid it open. "Chloe!" His eyes widened.  
  
Chloe stood there in her light blue terry cloth robe, her face streaked with tears, her hair down and knotted in various places. She looked a mess. "Brady," she raised her chin defiantly and shakily wiped the tears from her face. "I've been thinking."  
  
"You wanna come in?" He stood back.  
  
"No, no. I don't want to come in. And I don't want to fight with you-"  
  
"Who says we'll fight-"  
  
"I just want to get this out, okay?" She ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Okay. Ummm. . ." she looked him in the eyes, really looked him in the eyes and like a blossoming flower in spring, her confidence peaked tenfold. "I love you. And I don't just love you. I'm in love with you. And I know you think it's too soon," she added quickly. "And I know you don't feel the same way. I know you don't believe in love. But I can't help how I feel. And trust me this is not easy for me. If it were any other guy, I wouldn't be able to do this. But I don't love any other guy. I love you."  
  
Brady swallowed. He couldn't speak. He couldn't smile. He couldn't think. Why couldn't he just pull her into his arms? Do what he felt? He was a chicken. A fucking coward. He sighed in frustration, his brow furrowing.  
  
"Ummm. . . okay then. This was humiliating." Chloe was already backing away from the door. "Okay, see you tomorrow. Sorry I interrupted whatever you were doing."  
  
Brady only leaned against the door and watched her enter her loft, without looking back. "I love you too, Chloe," he whispered to no one, gazing forlornly at her door. He hobbled back over to the couch, crashing onto it before burying his face in his hands. He would have stayed that way too had it not been for his pea brained uncle shouting into the receiver. "Hey. Hey, sorry Philip."  
  
"What was going on man?" Philip sighed into the phone, miffed.  
  
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with."  
  
"Did I mention I was at an auto show week before last?"  
  
"Uh, no. No you didn't," Brady said absently, tuning out Philip and thinking of Chloe and what she'd just said. How he could have just stood there like an idiot? He was an idiot, he decided. So maybe, just maybe he should make Chloe forget about him with Philip after all.  
  
********************  
  
"Ugh," Chloe groaned and buried her head in a pillow. She'd never been more embarrassed in her life. But at least it was out there. At least she'd said it. But Brady hadn't said a thing. "Ugh."  
  
*********************  
  
The Next Day. . . Day Before Thanksgiving  
  
Brady adjusted his light blue collar shirt and hobbled over to the couch. He was absolutely exhausted, not having slept a wink and having had a little too much to drink, just a little. Lethargically, he ran a hand through his hair and settled onto the couch, hoping to ease his pounding head. It was the day before Thanksgiving and because they'd all be having Thanksgiving at Tuscany tomorrow, Belle wanted to hold her own little Thanksgiving dinner this evening. Brady wasn't sure he could stand turkey dinner two days in a row; but hell, he hadn't spent very many Thanksgiving dinners with his family. So celebrating two days in a row had to count for something.  
  
If his damn leg still wasn't giving him trouble, he'd have been able to drive himself over to Belle's. But he'd been desperate when Jason and Mimi had left early to help Belle set up dinner. And so he'd called the only person he could: Philip. He couldn't have called Chloe. She probably never wanted to see him again, which was just as well as starting something with her was a mistake. Long distance relationships never worked out. It was going to be so awkward at dinner tonight. Brady was sure of it. There was a knock at the door. "Come on in. Door's open," Brady called from the couch.  
  
"Hey man," Philip Kiriakis stepped inside and looked down at his injured nephew lying on the couch. "What happened to you?" Philip grinned and slapped Brady's leg.  
  
"Aghh," Brady cried out and sat up.  
  
"You look like shit." Philip grinned.  
  
"I told you what happened yesterday, ass."  
  
"Whoa Brady, relax. I meant you look like you haven't slept in days. Cucumbers and yogurt work wonders."  
  
"What?"  
  
"For your bags," Philip rolled his eyes and smiled that fucking dimple- filled smiled Brady had come to despise over the years. "It's just that you look so tense. Maybe you should see my yoga teacher in L.a."  
  
"Yoga?"  
  
"Sure, you'd be surprised at how much edge it takes off. Or maybe you just need to get laid," Philip chuckled and tossed his hair. "Same difference, right? Well, for me it is anyway."  
  
"What the- Can we go yet?" Brady ground out.  
  
"Sure, my honey's outside just waiting for us."  
  
"You brought a date?"  
  
"If you mean my Jaguar S-Type, I sure did. Just gotta rev her up and in no time she's an animal, even in freezing weather like this."  
  
Brady rolled his eyes and fell back onto the couch when a persistent knock sounded at the door again.  
  
"You expecting anyone," Philip asked.  
  
"No." Brady tried to sit up with no luck. "Can you get that?"  
  
"Sure," Philip strolled over to the door.  
  
Chloe stood at Brady's door, smoothing down her brown pantsuit and nervously tugging at her French braid. She'd known he would need a ride over to Belle's house and figured she'd suck up her pride and offer. Besides, she'd needed to speak to him, explain to him that it was wrong of her to pressure him like that yesterday with her declaration of love. They'd never even kissed, and though Brady could flirt out of his ass, he never gave her any indication he wanted a romantic relationship with her. She was shocked, to say the least, when Brady didn't answer the door, but a slim dirty-blonde haired man did instead. "Hello? Who are you? Where's Brady?"  
  
Philip chuckled. "I'm Philip Kiriakis. Brady's uncle."  
  
"You're Philip?" Chloe grinned. "I've heard so much about you. Good to finally meet you."  
  
"You too," Philip tossed his hair. "I've been in California. L.a. House in the Hills."  
  
"That's. . . interesting," Chloe finished, and 'incredibly unnecessary information' she thought to herself.  
  
"You've got great skin," Philip reached out and caressed Chloe's cheek lightly. "Really soft. What do you use for that?"  
  
"Wa. . . uh. . . well," Chloe chuckled, taken aback. "Just the skin care products from Natrabeauts."  
  
"I have a friend, loves the stuff, just loves the stuff. She's a model actually. You know, you're really beautiful. You should come out to L.a. one day and I may be able to hook you up with someone. Get you a good job, well over a thousand dollars a week."  
  
"Well that's very flattering and thanks but no thanks," she had to laugh. The guy in front of her was definitely not heterosexual and seemed pretty open about it. 'So why is Brady steaming over there on the couch,' she thought to herself.  
  
"L.a. doesn't strike your fancy? Know a guy in South Beach."  
  
Chloe playfully batted his chest. "You flatter me. You really do but no."  
  
"Okay, suit yourself, hon," he flashed her his dimpled smile.  
  
Brady watched them from his place on the couch. And though he couldn't hear a word they were saying, Chloe and Philip seemed awfully chummy. "Did she just bat her eyes at him," Brady murmured to himself and leaned off of the couch slightly to get a better view. "Ho, no," he felt himself fall off of the couch and slam onto the hard floor.  
  
"Brady!" Chloe shouted and ran to his side, stopping short of gathering him in her arms, remembering things had been left awkward between them last night. "Are you okay," she crouched down beside him and inspected him for any cuts or bruises.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm fine," he replied, narrowing his eyes at his uncle who smiled over him, offering him a hand up. "I don't need you're help, Philip. I can get up just fine." Brady tried to pull himself off of the floor but after a few failed attempts, allowed both Chloe and Philip to pull him up and push him back onto the couch. He grunted in appreciation, gasping for breath.  
  
"Philip, can you excuse us for a few minutes," Chloe asked softly, never taking her eyes off of Brady.  
  
"Sure," Philip replied. He wasn't the most intelligent person in the world but he could definitely sense the tension. "I'll just. . . be outside, by the elevators."  
  
As Philip closed the door, Chloe crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "Brady have you been drinking?"  
  
"What," he asked incredulously. "You can't be serious."  
  
"Well, not only can you not hold yourself up, but you look awful."  
  
"Gee. Thanks, Chloe," Brady bit out sarcastically.  
  
"Look, I didn't come here to fight with you."  
  
"Well, then why are you here?"  
  
"You're an asshole, Brady Black. A jerk. You don't get to be mad. I do!" She began to pace. "You didn't just completely make a fool of yourself and pour your heart out to your best friend. I did!" She turned her back on him and felt herself tear up.  
  
Brady took a deep breath and reached for his crutches, making his way over to stand behind her. How he hated her right now. God, how he hated her. But he hated himself so much more. He hated that she meant everything to him, that he allowed himself to fall in love with her. He hated that he let her fall in love with him. From the first moment he laid eyes on her, he knew something was going on between them and he did nothing to stop it. He kept pretending as if she didn't affect him, but she did. God, how she did. She was everything he'd ever wanted, but he'd been too chicken to admit it. Well, no more. He reached out and lightly stroked the back of her head. "I love-"  
  
"No, don't. Don't say it. Don't say things you don't mean, especially that."  
  
"Chloe, I'm not. I mean it. I-"  
  
She slowly turned around to look at him. "Please. Please don't say it. I just want to forget it. I want to forget everything." She looked down at her feet.  
  
"I don't," he raised her chin with his fingertips.  
  
"Well, I do."  
  
Brady chuckled. "Still as stubborn as ever."  
  
Chloe even managed a smile. Only she and Brady could turn the most awkward situation pleasant. She walked into his open arms and allowed him to give her one of those bear hugs she loved. "We're going to be late to Belle's," her voice was muffled against his chest.  
  
"She'll forgive us," Brady squeezed her tighter.  
  
"Philip's waiting for us outside." She felt Brady tense and step back.  
  
"Okay, we'll talk about this tonight." It was more of a question than anything else.  
  
"Yes," Chloe followed him to the door and watched him grab his black suit jacket.  
  
"There you guys are. I was wondering if you were ever coming out of there," Philip smiled and took Chloe's hand, leading her into the elevator. Chloe grinned. Brady didn't. "So are things okay?" Philip asked Chloe as the three rode down to the ground floor.  
  
Chloe took a peak at Brady's hardened faced and noticed the clench in his jaw and his eyes ablaze, though he tried to appear disinterested and stare blankly ahead of him. He was clearly jealous. 'Oh but jealous never looked so good,' Chloe thought and apparently Philip did too. "Things look perfect."  
  
Philip put his arm around her shoulders and bent down to whisper in her ear. "If he weren't my nephew. . ." he trailed off, grinning wickedly.  
  
Chloe burst out laughing, garnering a very dirty look from Brady.  
  
Brady felt as if he would burst. How dare Philip think he could hit on Chloe so blatantly like that? Of course he'd heard what Philip said too. 'If I wasn't his nephew. . . what? He'd been keeping Chloe to himself, that's what. Bastard,' Brady felt his thoughts boil over. 'Great,' he thought. 'Now all evening he'd have to watch Chloe and Philip play kissy kissy face.' But Brady wasn't the only one analyzing his thoughts.  
  
Chloe smiled. Seemed Brady was jealous of his gay uncle. There was no reason to be jealous of course but apparently Brady did not possess gaydar. Chloe would tell Brady what was up but figured this might be a little fun. 'Teehee.'  
  
Philip was thinking too. 'Copa copa cabana.'  
  
Brady frowned and Chloe grinned thinking the same thing: 'This was going to be some night.' 


	11. Chapter 11

I disclaim!!! Sorry again that this took so long! :-\ Hope someone is still reading and since I took so long, lemme give ya a little recap. LOL It's the day before Thanksgiving and Belle is hosting a little dinner get together. Ehh I'm bad at recaps so you may wanna skim over the previous chapter LOL TY and Thanks for reading! ;)  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 11: Hands Off!  
  
  
  
"But I said to him, I said, 'Hands off!'" Philip finished as walked with Chloe up Belle and Shawn's driveway towards the large, oak door.  
  
"That's. . . funny," Chloe replied through clenched teeth, trying to smile and take it. Now she wished she'd just driven her own car. The whole ride over Philip couldn't stop talking; and it's not that Chloe minded a talker but she'd hoped that Philip would have something, anything intelligent to say. He didn't. Philip had just been. . . stupid. God, there went her idea of setting him up with Harold. Harold would skin her alive if she had the gall to set him up with this one. "Umm. . . where's Brady?" She tried to turn around but Philip kept a firm grip around her shoulders and continued to the house.  
  
"Don't worry about my nephew. He nodded off on the ride over."  
  
"Lucky him," Chloe muttered under her breath.  
  
"He's sleeping nice and peacefully in the back of the Jag. She's got a hard, steel body, top of the line insulation even in weather like this."  
  
"What? Who?"  
  
"My Jag." Philip rang the bell and grinned. "So he'll be fine."  
  
Brady awoke to seeing the car parked in front of Belle and Shawn's house as Philip and Chloe walked to the door and were let in by Belle. Were they just going to start dinner without him!? And Philip was all over Chloe. He couldn't keep his hands off of her and she didn't seem to mind one bit. "Sonuvabitch," Brady muttered and hunched his shoulders in the cramped car to let himself out. His head was pounding. As he slammed the car door, he lost his balance and toppled to the grass, crutches and all. "Fuck," he shouted as he pulled himself up and dusted himself off.  
  
"Hey mister?"  
  
Brady looked around, first to his right and then his left. He then felt a small tug on his black dinner jacket and looked down. There stood a little sandy haired, blue-eyed girl whose head barely came up to Brady's knees. She was dressed as some kind of girl scout or brownie, whatever the hell they were called. 'Great Brady, corrupting kids with lessons in profanity use 101,' he thought to himself. "Hi, what's your name?"  
  
"My mom says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." She held up a box filled with chocolate bars.  
  
"No thank you. I'm not a big fan of chocolate," he smiled politely. She only looked at him with these big, blue doe eyes and Brady felt himself melting. "How much?"  
  
"Just a dollar," she pouted.  
  
"Just a dollar, huh?" He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and pulled out a crisp bill. "I only have a twenty." He handed her the bill.  
  
"And I don't have any change," she stuck the bill in her money envelope.  
  
"This better be some good chocolate," Brady sighed as she handed him the box. As he walked to the door, he couldn't help but smile. Maybe one day he'd have a child as adorable as that one. Yes, she was a cheeky little devil but adorable as hell. He'd bet Chloe was something like that in her younger years.  
  
"Brady!" Belle yelled as she dragged her brother in and hugged him fiercely.  
  
"House warming gift for your first pre-Thanksgiving dinner," Brady handed her the box of chocolate bars.  
  
"Aww. . . thank you. Philip said you were asleep in his car. I was going to come get you when dinner arrived."  
  
"Arrived?" Brady asked, taking off his jacket. "I thought you were cooking."  
  
"Yes well, I was-"  
  
"But it went up in smoke. . . Literally." Shawn teased, taking Brady's jacket and hanging it in the closet.  
  
"Yes, thanks for reminding me, Shawn. So anyway, we ordered a couple of pizzas instead."  
  
"Ha, ha," Brady laughed and pulled his sister to him as he kissed her temple. "Poor Belle." He walked with her into the spacious living room and took a seat on the couch. "Philip and Chloe?" Brady tried to keep his voice disinterested but where the hell were Philip and Chloe.  
  
"Oh Chloe wanted some air-"  
  
"In this weather? She's liable to catch a cold."  
  
"That's what I said." Belle took a seat on the couch in between Shawn and Brady. "Anyway, Philip joined her out on the back porch. I'm sure he's busy warming her up."  
  
"O. . . kay." Brady cleared his throat. "Uh, I guess Jason and Mimi are out there with them then?"  
  
"Nope." Shawn replied, smiling. "Jase and Meems took a rain check and headed back to her place. Something about needing to get something done. They needed to get something done alright."  
  
"Oh Shawn," Belle giggled as he nuzzled her ear.  
  
Brady groaned.  
  
**********  
  
"Short version of the story?" Chloe leaned against the glass sliding door on the back porch. "I confessed my love for my best friend last night and he just stared at me like I was growing a third eye. And now I know he feels sorry for me and it's humiliating. I won't be pitied this way."  
  
"Well, maybe it's just me but it seems like Brady is pretty interested in you."  
  
"Well duh Philip. But I'm not just interested in Brady. I love him, really love him. He's so kind and so caring, and funny. . . and-"  
  
"And gorgeous which I'm sure has a little to do with it," Philip laughed.  
  
"And gorgeous," Chloe smiled dreamily. "You see we have this connection, this common bond that ties us together. We can talk about anything and nothing and it's the most wonderful thing in the world. And I know he feels it too. I know it. Dammit, even the tarot cards know it! But he just won't let me get close enough." She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "So yes, I was thinking- hoping rather- that you could. . . make him jealous."  
  
"But Chloe, I'm not interested in you that way. I'm gay."  
  
"Yes, Philip, I know that," Chloe rolled her eyes. "But apparently, your nephew does not know that.  
  
"Really," Philip looked surprised.  
  
"Yes, Philip. Don't look so surprised. Many heterosexual men lack that trait."  
  
"Okay. Deal then. . . on one condition."  
  
"That is?"  
  
"You let me paint your nails tomorrow. That color is hideous for winter."  
  
********  
  
"So, it's just us five then!?" Philip announced as he strolled back into the room, Chloe at his side.  
  
"As soon as the pizzas arrive." Shawn confirmed.  
  
Philip pulled Chloe close and squeezed her tight, then looked a scowling Brady and then back at Chloe. "Yummy."  
  
Dinner was uneventful to say the least. Shawn and Belle were engrossed in their own private conversation leading Brady to wonder why they invited anyone over at all. And Philip and Chloe, why they'd just been sickening, absolutely sickening. God, what did Chloe see in him? Philip was as dumb as a doorknob. And hell wasn't she just confessing her love for him, not Philip, the night before? God, this was a mess. She was too complicated. She made him think too much, feel too much. He loved her and now she was all over Philip. Brady didn't like it one bit.  
  
"So does that make any sense to you?" Philip tossed his hair and laid his slice of veggie pizza on the gold-rimmed porcelain plate. "I mean, they say don't feed them after midnight 'cause they'll like reproduce and shit and there'll be like fifty Gremlins in your house by morning. But if you can't feed them after midnight, when can you feed them? Three am? Four? Five?"  
  
"Dawn maybe? I don't know Philip but that's uh. . . really insightful there, yeah." Chloe tried to smile but really she was ready to go home and bury herself under the covers and read a good book. No man was worth this torture.  
  
"I've always thought so. But then I've been told I think way too much. And you know what they say: Great minds and everything. . ." he trailed off.  
  
"What!?" Brady finally spoke up. He'd been silent all through dinner, relying on dirty looks aimed at Chloe and Philip to get his feelings across.  
  
"Hmm?" Philip grinned that fucking dimple-filled grin.  
  
"You make absolutely no sense, you know that?"  
  
"Ummm. . ." Philip looked confused.  
  
"Brady, could you be any ruder? Jesus." Chloe chastised the simmering blonde man sitting across from them.  
  
"Only if Philip can be more stupid, which I don't think is possible."  
  
"Whoa, hold the cell phone there. I think I take offense to that." Philip stood from the table.  
  
"Oh you think you do, do you?" Brady also stood, challenging Philip.  
  
Philip took note of Brady's menacing size and strong physique and rethought the hasty dare. "Hah. . . ummm. . . kind of. I guess. Maybe not."  
  
Chloe stood up, seeing that Philip was backing down. Who the hell was Brady to think he could push Philip around like that? "You do Philip, you do take offense."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"Yes, you do! You're sick of his holier than thou attitude." Chloe set her hands on her hips defiantly.  
  
"I am?" Philip looked at Chloe nervously and back at Brady.  
  
"Yes! You're a bully, Brady Black! Let me tell what you're sick of Philip! You're sick of the way he insists on keeping everyone at a distance, the way he closes himself off when you get too close, won't allow anyone to love him. You're sick of giving, giving, giving and not getting anything back! You're sick of pretending! In short: You're sick of him!"  
  
Belle and Shawn were taking note of the ensuing fight taking place at their pre-Thanksgiving dinner party. If this was any indication of what was ahead for them in years to come, Belle would be sure to use paper plates and plastic utensils instead of her mother's fine china and expensive silverware.  
  
"Ummm. . ." Philip scratched his head.  
  
"Screw you, Chloe!" Brady shouted. "I didn't ask you to love me! I didn't even want you to love me! So stop trying to make me feel so fucking bad about this!"  
  
"You're a jerk Brady Black! And I hate you! I hate you." Chloe was in tears now. "Philip, will you please take me home?"  
  
"Yeah umm. . . yeah." Philip led Chloe from the room.  
  
"Dammit!" Brady cursed as he heard the door slam. "Dammit," he ran a hand through his hair and hobbled to the door.  
  
"Brady, I can take you home-" Shawn offered but Brady cut him off.  
  
"No, thanks. I can walk."  
  
"You'll freeze your ass off," Shawn replied.  
  
"I'm used to it. Apparently, my heart's already frozen." He slammed the door.  
  
Belle frowned. "That went well."  
  
TBC. . . soon I hope :) 


	12. Chapter 12

I disclaim! I don't think I took quite as long to get this chapter up. Could it be a trend developing?? Hmmm. Thanks to kat. Without her stubbornness, I would never have to prove that cupcakes are indeed sexy!!!! Thanks for reading!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 12: Cupcakes Are Sexy  
  
Chloe slipped further into her large, green marble tub and let the floral scented bath bubbles caress her work weary skin. Tonight had been a total disaster. Not only had the plan to make Brady jealous worked, but it had worked too damn well. Now he was upset with her and she with him. And dammit, if she wasn't as hard headed as he was but she was. So she was certain they would never patch things up. "I am determined to fall out of love with him. He's not worth it. . . so not worth it. In fact. . ." she trailed off and stood from the tub, wrapping her short length light pink terry cloth robe around her body. She stormed to her room and straight to her bookshelf, her mini trashcan in hand as she began the task of throwing away all the supernatural crap she owned. She threw away her countless books on dreams and numerology, her magic 8 ball, and finally her deck of tarot cards. She never wanted to see these damn things again. These things were the cause of all this. They made her believe something otherworldly, something destined, heavenly was going on between her and Brady. But she'd pushed and he'd pulled back. It just wasn't in the cards for them any longer, so to speak. "Down you go," she disposed of the trash and her love for Brady down the garbage shoot to the dumpster outside. Determined to forget Brady and get her life back on track, after all dreaming was for fools, Chloe made her way back to the tub and tried as hard as she could to wash her troubles away.  
  
**********  
  
Brady finally made it home after his long walk from Belle and Shawn's. And what a long walk it was. It was times like these Brady appreciated technology the most. Not that he could really even drive in his condition. But if not for his pride, he surely would have called a taxi, especially when the freezing rain began and ran through the threads of his clothes as his skin became soaked to the bone; but he was stubborn. And so he hobbled all the way home. "What I wouldn't give for a nice, hot shower," he collapsed on the couch and gazed forlornly at his door, knowing Chloe was probably asleep in her bed all warm and cozy. He had to see her and apologize for his outburst at Belle and Shawn's tonight. He was jealous, pure and simple. But Chloe wasn't to blame. He was. And so he would make things right. "Guess I should take a shower first though." He knew that if he went over there in his current state one: Chloe would laugh at him and his pride would be hurt or two: Chloe would feel sorry for him and he would feel like an even bigger ass. He was nearly to his room when he saw the light on the answering machine blinking. "Who would have called?"  
  
**********  
  
Chloe pulled on a large cotton button down Care Bears nightshirt, deciding a glass of milk, a couple double stuffed Oreo cookies and a date under her covers with a good book would be perfect. "Yummm," Chloe moaned as she snuggled under the covers. Within ten minutes, she'd abandoned the book for 'A Christmas Story' on an old movie channel. It wasn't even Thanksgiving yet and already this movie was being shown. Chloe had to laugh. She loved this movie. She could remember being as old as twelve and watching this, wishing she could wish her way into the movie, just to be a part of that family. But she had a family again thankfully and a wonderful family at that. But there were times like these, in the quiet, when she was alone, left to think and remember, that she was reminded of her past. And that, no matter how much love she would receive from Craig and Nancy, part of her would always feel alone and abandoned. She wished she could talk to Brady.  
  
God she wanted to kill him right now but she knew he would understand what she was feeling because he'd felt that way too. He was so easy to talk to. He was the kind of guy that could make you believe he was hanging on your every word, even if the words were 'Does this dress make me look fat?' And even then he would say something flip like 'Do you think it makes you look fat?' and Chloe would burst into laughter and just enjoy herself instead. Brady made her feel comfortable in her own skin. And when he looked at her. . . Oh, whether he knew it or not, when he looked at her, he made her feel so very beautiful. Like a voluptuous, sensual, Rubenesque figure he wanted to touch all over and hoard in a special place where he alone could have his way with her. And yet other times, he looked at her as if she were the most delicate piece of crystal in the universe, afraid she might break if he touched her yet enchanted by her. He could see her, right through to her very soul and he absolutely adored what he saw, scars and all. "Oh Brady," she shook her head sadly as the doorbell rang. "I'm coming," she called out to her visitor and slid the door open. "Brady," she breathed out. How did he always manage to show up when she needed him?  
  
"Chloe," he stood before her freshly showered, in a gray hooded sweatshirt and sweat pants, holding something wrapped tightly in a brown paper bag. She was silent and when she made no move to let him in he frowned. "I can leave."  
  
"No," she pulled his hand. "Stay." She smiled at him, happy to see him here. "You're all wet," she said simply, pointing to his damp hair that clung to his forehead.  
  
"Can I come in," he grinned.  
  
"Sure, come on in," she stepped back and let him in, watching as he took a seat on the couch. "No crutches?"  
  
"Eh, I found walking all the way home earlier today that I really don't need them all that much," he laughed. "Stopped by the hospital about twenty minutes ago and had the cast removed."  
  
"Can you do that?" Chloe's eyebrow rose in question.  
  
"You tell me. You're the nurse. Besides it's done."  
  
"Ehh, they just like you over there," she joked.  
  
"You included I hope," he looked at her with hopeful eyes.  
  
She didn't answer him but instead changed the subject. "You walked all the way home from Belle and Shawn's?" She couldn't believe it when he nodded in the affirmative. "I'm sorry." She took a seat next to him on the couch.  
  
"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. You really reamed me out good tonight. But I deserved it. I was horrible, just a pain in the ass. I was jealous," he trailed off softly, blushing slightly.  
  
"You were," she looked at him timidly.  
  
He turned to face her and smiled. "Very."  
  
"What's in the bag?"  
  
He handed it to her. "Here, open it."  
  
"You got me something?" She grinned, turning the object over in her hands.  
  
"It's nothing." Brady didn't know how things had become so weird between them tonight but the air had definitely changed. It was charged with a nervous energy that hadn't ever existed before.  
  
Chloe opened the bag and gasped at its contents. It was a CD. It was of Chopin's classics. She felt her eyes fill to the brim with tears as she stared at the CD in her shaking hands.  
  
Brady looked at her nervously. "If you don't like it, I can take it back." He reached out to grab it but she pulled it away from him.  
  
"Are you crazy?" She finally looked at him. "I love it. How did you know, Brady?" She'd never told Brady about that tape of Chopin. So to see Chopin's nocturnes and etudes in her hands, she wanted to cry. It was such an intimate gift. "How did you know?"  
  
"Know?" Brady was confused.  
  
"My adoptive parents gave me a tape of Chopin's classics, this exact version. I carried it with me everywhere, even in the foster homes." She had to wipe the tears from her eyes to see clearly. "I'd misplaced the tape but I never forgot it. I could never forget." She felt Brady pull her close to him and wrap her in a hug, holding her as she cried softly into his chest.  
  
***************  
  
An hour later. . .  
  
"So I always carry pepper spray with me," Chloe finished frosting a cupcake and adding it to the large plate with the other vanilla frosted, yellow cupcakes.  
  
"You never told me that." Brady watched her from his side of the counter and reached for a cupcake, only to have his hand slapped away.  
  
"Gotta get some milk first," she warned, heading over to the fridge. "And of course I never told you that. There are a lot of things about me that you don't know."  
  
"Oh please, I know practically everything about you," he teased as she poured the milk. "I know that you sleep with your TV on at night, still scared of the boogie man. I know that you love old school rap." He laughed. "That you love when it rains, like it is now. I know that you love romantic movies but you'd much prefer to read a good book. I know that you hate lima beans and butter beans but that you love refried beans. That you love Oreo cookies but only if you can have it with a freezing cold, icy glass of milk." He grew serious as he watched her blushing countenance study the cupcakes in front of her, a slight smile on her face. She loved and hated what he was saying all at the same time, he knew. "I know that you love to help people and care for people and give them a new lease on life, save them. I know that all you really want in this world is to find your soulmate and to love and be loved. And I know that you love me." He was silent and watched her head snap up and her eyes meet his. "And I know that I lo-" He was cut off when Chloe stuff a cupcake into his mouth, frosting side first. "Ughm," he pulled the cupcake from his face. "Chloe, hey. Dammit."  
  
Chloe giggled and ran away from him as she watched him pick up two cupcakes and start after her. "Ahh Brady," she screamed as he caught her around the waist. He stuffed one of the cupcakes on her nose from behind and easily turned her around in his arms as they tumbled to the couch, he on top of her. She screamed some more as he took the other cupcake and attempted to stuff it down her nightshirt, but she resisted enough so that it smashed between her breasts. The both were breathing hard as she continued to squirm under his hovering body. Out of energy, she soon stopped struggling and watched him as he smiled defiantly down at her. That nervous energy in the air suddenly became electric. She tried to control her heavy breathing watching as Brady's face grew sober. He wet his lips and looked to hers and back to her eyes for assurance.  
  
Swooping in, Brady bent his head and placed his tongue on the exposed part of her chest, just above her breasts, lightly licking off the frosting that had gathered there.  
  
Chloe breathed out harshly, her chest heaving. "Who knew. . . cupcakes could. . . be so sexy," she finished on a moan sigh and cradled Brady's head to her chest as he continued to lick and devour the smashed cupcake matted to her now slick skin.  
  
He chuckled against her chest and raised his head. "Chloe," he said softly, gazing into her hopeful eyes, knowing she was thinking the same thing he was. 'That was it,' he thought to himself. He was going in. Slowly, he bent his head down and gently touched his firm lips to her soft ones. The kiss was soft and gentle and stayed that way as they quietly nibbled on each other's lips, both of them stunned this was even happening. Too stunned to let it go any farther.  
  
But Chloe's desire for him took hold and she soon found herself taking complete control of their kisses, running her tongue along Brady's suddenly slack lips, imploring entrance. She could taste the frosting on him, teasing her. So sweet. So damn good. She had to taste him, all of him. Now.  
  
'Who am I to deny her anything?' he thought as he allowed her tongue to brazenly tangle with his. The kiss went on for quite awhile, growing more demanding and heated as he ran his hand up her leg and under her night shirt. Brady soon pulled back, though, for some much needed air and composure. What was happening here? He leaned his forehead against hers. Both of their eyes were closed, both breathed so intensely, both very turned on. "Chloe," he breathed out. "Chloe," he kissed her lips firmly again, reluctantly letting them go. "Chloe, this is wrong."  
  
"What?" She kissed him softly, her glazed eyes opening slightly, closing again as desire consumed her.  
  
"This," he kissed her back, "is wrong."  
  
"It is?" Chloe asked. She felt Brady nod. "It doesn't feel wrong." She kissed him again, curtly but let her lips linger against his. "Do you think it feels wrong Brady," she breathed against his lips.  
  
"No. God no," he kissed her passionately again, feeling the heat from her body below, urging him on. But something was telling him to stop. Something was wrong. Now if only he could remember what that something was. He opened his eyes and allowed his brain to function for a bit. Shit. What was he doing? "Chloe, look at me." She opened her eyes and stared at him, hungrily. "Chloe, we have to stop." He pulled back and sat on the couch, running a hand through his hair. "We can't do this."  
  
"Okay," she sat up too, pulling her nightshirt closed, embarrassed.  
  
"No," he tried to reach out to her but she pulled away. "Don't. It's not you. It's me."  
  
"Oh God," Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Oh God, this is so humiliating," she buried her burning face in her hands and stood, walking over to the kitchen to get the frosting off of her face and chest.  
  
He jogged after her and pulled her hands from her cheeks, holding them down, forcing her to look at him. "Chloe, it's not what you think. I didn't come over here for this."  
  
She looked up at him, seeing his eyes were pleading with her to understand. "What is it then? What did you come here for?"  
  
He lightly wiped a bit of frosting off the side of her mouth. "To tell you. . . give you the CD and to tell you a couple of things. One thing I couldn't get out because you stuffed a cupcake in my mouth." He laughed nervously. "The other, well the other thing is a little more difficult to get out."  
  
"Just say it Brady," she was frightened by his tone, growing defensive.  
  
"I got a call today. . . from my Commander at the police department." They both swallowed. "I'm due back in Chicago."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Tomorrow," he said softly, gazing at her sadly.  
  
"Oh," she looked downward and went to the task of wetting a dishrag and wiping her face and chest clean.  
  
"Oh? Is that all you have to say?"  
  
"Well, what do you expect me to say? You knew as well as I did that this day would come, Brady. It has and so that's that." She couldn't very well ask him to stay. She couldn't ask that of him. They hardly had a real relationship anyway. And if he refused? Well her heart couldn't take that.  
  
"That's that," Brady repeated her softly. Oh what he wouldn't give right now for her to ask him to stay. He would. He would stay forever. All she had to do was ask.  
  
"Hey, well listen, I have. . . to go to work really early in the morning so I've got to get some sleep. And what with you having to go back tomorrow-"  
  
"Morning."  
  
"Tomorrow morning. You need to get some sleep too." She made her way over to and slid the loft door open. "So goodnight, Brady. Thanks for the CD. I'll see you when I see you."  
  
What the hell was going on? How could she just turn so cold like that, like she didn't even care about him? He was almost out the door too, when something stopped him. "Chloe," he turned to face her, cupping her cheek and raising her face to look up at him. "Chloe, I lo-"  
  
"Don't say it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want you to. I just want you to leave and. . . I just want you to leave." She pushed his hand away.  
  
"Okay." He swallowed. "Okay, I'm gone. See ya around." He waited there a few more seconds to see if she would even look at him, but she didn't. She wanted him gone it seemed.  
  
Chloe slid the loft door closed, not even bothering to watch him go. That was it, the way it should be. He was going back to his life in Chicago and she could resume what was left of hers here. That was the way it should be, she decided.  
  
Brady walked back to his loft. What the hell had happened? "It's as if she had just shut down." Did she really care about him or was this all a game to her? Maybe it was good he couldn't get the words 'I love you' out. Who was he kidding? She loved him and he loved her. He'd let her say those words to him so why not him to her. "Because she stuffed a cupcake in my mouth, that's why?" She had stopped him from saying those words, several times now. Why didn't she just let him say them? What was she so afraid of? But then it dawned on him. The simple truth was: Chloe was indeed afraid. But the difficult question was: Of what?  
  
TBC. . . 


	13. Chapter 13

I disclaim!!! Thanks so much guys for reading and replying. Strangely enough, it does keep me motivated to try and get chapters out faster. ;) So yea, I have another chapter up! Though, I think you may be a little disappointed with it but get the bad stuff over with right? I'm probably confusing you so I will shut up now! LOL  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 13: The Game of Life  
  
The next morning Brady did go back to Chicago, still leaving things awkward between him and Chloe. A morning turned into a day, a day turned into a week, a week into two. Two weeks and not so much as a phone call from either side. Chloe had thrown herself back into her work, working overtime and spending all of her free time with her nose in the newest bestseller. Brady was no better. It was back to the daily grind for him. For his routine morning exercise, he jogged along a quiet snowy street by his apartment like he had in the past. But it just wasn't the same. Things that had seemed important before he met Chloe still were but now there was this nagging feeling. There was a constant discontent gnawing at his insides and he knew a lot of it had to do with her. He hadn't known when it happened but she had become a large part of his world. In the weeks since leaving Salem, he'd found himself wondering what Chloe would think of or say about this and that.  
  
He missed her laugh. And he missed the way her eyes would get really wide when she was embarrassed or angry or really excited about something. Hell, he even missed her cartoon scrubs and nightshirts. For someone who appeared to be so serious and at times very haughty, she was just about the silliest woman he ever met. "It's always the quiet ones," he sighed, smiling. He just really missed talking to her, understanding who she really was and being understood by her. And he would pick up the phone and call her but. . . "But what?" He slowed to a walk along a dumpster by a local gas station. "I could call her." He stopped walking, pulling off his knit cap and scratching his head. "I will call her. . . eventually." He slid against the wall and plopped down on the dirty snow gathered along the side of the building, taking a short break. "I'll call her tonight. . . tomorrow night. Maybe in a few days." He scoffed. "Grow some balls, Brady."  
  
He was no paranormal believer. Well, not entirely. Not anymore. Since leaving Salem, he'd found himself stepping over cracks in the sidewalk and digging up his old Ouji board. He'd even considered calling a psychic hotline number. He was desperate. He'd begun to believe, in his heart, that he and Chloe were meant to be together. They were soulmates. He wanted to run back to Chicago, take her in his arms and tell her so too. But did she still feel that way? Had he blown it when he left for Chicago? It was the unknown that was so frightening. She hadn't called after all, but neither had he. When he'd first gotten back to Chicago, he'd been so mad at Chloe and so disappointed in the way things had turned out. But he was more upset with himself. He'd known Chloe was afraid of something. He didn't know just what yet and really didn't care to because he was afraid as well. Well, he was tired of being afraid. He was going to do something today-right now. "I love her and I want to be with her. We can make this work. God," he ran a hand through his hair, looking to the cloudy sky above. "Show me a sign, any sign that what I've just decided to do will work." It was then Brady felt something wet and rough pass over his hand. "What the-" He looked down at a small dog.  
  
The brown spotted bulldog, clearly not more than a few months old, sat licking the back of Brady's hand over and over. "Who are you little man," Brady asked the dog. "Guess you're the sign I've been waiting for huh?" He laughed and stood. "Thanks man!" Brady took off on his jog again, determined to set in motion the epiphany he'd just had. Within ten minutes, he'd made it home. He stopped at the stoop outside of his apartment to stretch his legs before going in when he'd noticed that same bulldog sat looking at him. It's big brown eyes following Brady's movements. "Did you follow me home?. . . Look, dog, you're real cute and you helped me come to a major decision in my life but go away, k? Shoo. . . Go on. Get lost." The dog didn't budge, just kept looking at Brady, it's eyes glistening and contrasting nicely, with the white snow that began to fall again. Brady couldn't help but feel his heart melting as he looked down at the puppy without a collar, obviously lost and undoubtedly cold. He crouched down in front of the dog and continued his conversation. "You lost, hmm?. . . I could feed you something but then you'd have to leave right after okay? My landlord's going to get me if I sneak a dog into the place without telling him. And I can't really keep you because I don't know if I want the company." The dog just licked Brady's hand some more. "Alright, alright. Come on," he gathered the dog in his arms and jogged up to his apartment.  
  
Twenty minutes later Brady sat on his living room floor, scratching the puppy on his tummy. "You know, you're real lucky you're so cute. Big ol' paws on this chubby, little body. You're like Fred Flintstone or something. Well, come on Fred. Time to call Chloe," Brady stood up and grabbed the cordless phone, pacing back and forth for several moments, while Fred sat, still on his back, tummy out in that air, falling asleep on the warm rug beneath him. "To call or not to call, that is the question. Well, what do you say Fred?" Brady noted the snoring dog on his rug. "You look like you just drank a six pack of beer," Brady chuckled. "Quit stalling Black," he told himself and dialed the familiar number. The phone rang three times before the machine picked up and Chloe's delightful voice could be heard through the receiver.  
  
"Hi, this is Chloe. I can't come to the phone right now but if you're real lucky and you leave me a message, I'll be sure to get back to you. Byeeeeee."  
  
Brady would have to be sure to remember to tell Chloe her message sounded like a phone sex line. "Hi. . . Chloe. It's me. Brady. Look, I know it's been awhile. Two weeks and one day to be exact. You hadn't called and. . . not that I'm saying you should have. I mean I'm as much at fault as you. Not that I'm blaming you in any way. Uh, anyway. . . well I was thinking. . . about us and how we left things. And well, I. . . I'll be in Salem on Wednesday, that is tomorrow, for a meeting and thought maybe we could meet somewhere. Umm. . . so if you're interested, I should be through about two o' clock. I was thinking maybe we could meet at the Brady pub for lunch, if you're not working and if you are working maybe you could give me a call on my cell. I'd really appreciate it," he paused. "I miss you, Chloe. I want to see you and fix things between us. Umm. . . I loveyoubye. Talk. . . talk to you soon. . . I hope." He put down the phone and collapsed on the couch in mortification. He was the world's worst message leaver! "Oh, God, I really screwed that one up didn't I, Fred?" He looked over at his newly adopted buddy. The dog merely groaned in annoyance and rolled over onto his side to get some sleep. "Gee, thanks for the support." Well either way, things would be decided, Brady figured. If Chloe wanted to meet him, she would and if she didn't she wouldn't. At least he'd know once and for all.  
  
****************  
  
Chloe sighed in exhaustion as she opened the door to her loft. She'd just worked a long twelve-hour day and she was dog-tired. She hadn't stopped working it seemed and it was beginning to catch up with her. But she just didn't want to face the music. She didn't want to hear Belle, Mimi and Nancy go on about men they'd met who would be perfect for her. They all knew she was in love with Brady, especially after Brady left for Chicago. They'd all compared Chloe to a balloon that had been slowly deflating and now they were trying everything in their power to pump her back up. She would get through this. She'd had her share of boyfriends in college but none of them compared to what she felt for Brady. No she had never been in love like this before. But apparently, only she felt so strongly. After all, he hadn't called. Of course she hadn't either but she was tired of being the initiator. He hadn't even told her he loved her. "Well, he tried but you stuffed a cupcake into his mouth, Chloe," she said to herself. Either way, it didn't matter. None of it did, because he couldn't really be in love with her. If he were, he never would have left to begin with. Chloe saw the light on her answering machine blinking. "Later," she sighed. "I don't have the heart to listen to anyone's pity tonight." Lazily, she stripped her clothes and took a nice, hot shower before jumping into bed and falling asleep.  
  
Chloe must have been asleep not twenty minutes when she heard the pounding at her door. "What the-" She stumbled to her door, sliding it open, trying to adjust her eyes to the brightness of the hallway. "Mimi? Belle? What are you two doing here? What time is it?"  
  
Belle grinned. "It's only nine in the evening."  
  
"And we've come to cheer you up," Mimi finished.  
  
"No guys, I'm really tired."  
  
"No excuses, Chloe," Belle pushed her way in, Mimi not far behind, both of their arms filled with boxes.  
  
"What is all this," Chloe asked, raking a hand through her hair.  
  
"Board games!" Belle smiled brightly.  
  
"And some vodka, orange juice, cranberry juice and white wine," held up a bottle and a few small packets. "Hope you have a blender here cause I have some daiquiri mixes too. What's your pleasure?"  
  
"Guys," Chloe began, "I see what you're trying to do and I appreciate it. I do. I really do, but-"  
  
"No buts," Belle scolded.  
  
"Unless we're talking about Brad Pitt's or Orlando Bloom's," Mimi countered.  
  
Chloe laughed, shaking her head. "What am I gonna do with you guys?"  
  
"Play a board game and get very nasty, shit-faced drunk," Mimi laughed.  
  
****************  
  
Three hours later, the three women sat on the floor laughing and carrying on, all three very nasty, shit-faced drunk. They'd decided to play the board game 'Life' but they'd stopped halfway through, neither of them even sober enough to focus on the numbers on the spin dial.  
  
"But I really like cheeseburgers," Belle whined. "I don't know why I bother worrying about my figure. Shawn drinks enough beer. He clearly doesn't care about his."  
  
Mimi nodded in agreement. "I love cheeseburgers, but I don't know. Lately, I've asked for the no cheese cheeseburgers."  
  
"That would be a hamburger, Meems," Belle giggled.  
  
"You're right!" Mimi slapped her own leg and grinned drunkenly. "Which do you prefer Chloe? Chloe?" Both women looked to their friend who sat, her eyes tearing up. That alone was sobering enough for them.  
  
"Chloe what's wrong," Belle cooed.  
  
"Nothing," Chloe felt the tears spill over onto her cheeks. "It's just the cheese and everything." She remembered her conversation with Brady about cheese. "And then the car," she held up the miniature truck playing piece from the game with a little pink pin in the driver's seat representing her, a blue one next to that, her husband, and two blue pins behind, her two little boys. "My biological clock is ticking you know? And I love him and he doesn't like goat cheese and ugh! Brady!" She sobbed and let her head fall in her hands as her shoulders shook with her cries.  
  
"Oh honey," Belle comforted her best friend.  
  
"I'm fine," Chloe tried to calm herself. "I am. I really am. It's just I never wanted this, you know," she held up the little family in the little truck playing piece. "I wanted to work and. . . work and help people and. . . travel the world whenever I wanted. Just get on a plane to Paris or Rome. I never wanted this. Well, I never knew I wanted it anyway. . . until I met him." She began to sob again, both Mimi and Belle trying to ease their best friend's pain.  
  
*************  
  
Chloe awoke on her couch. Peering at the clock, she noted the time. "Four am." She got up, rubbing her face and making her way to the kitchen. Her head was pounding. She hadn't gotten drunk in years. She could remember the first time she did. It was when she'd moved out on her own. Her first night away from home in so long so she took advantage, living it up at a party. She was so drunk she thought she was going to die. When she'd called Craig for help, he simply said: 'Take two aspirins and call me in the morning.'  
  
She chuckled at the memory but regretted it quickly when her head throbbed violently. "I feel like my head's going to fall off." So she pulled down her trusty aspirin from the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took her medicine. Something by the phone caught her eye. It was a note from Mimi and Belle. "Were sober enough to call and take a taxi home. Feel better girl. Talk to you tomorrow. Meems and Belle." Chloe grinned. "Well thank God, I'm off today, my head is killing me. . . Six messages. Well, well, well. . . who would have called me? Certainly not Brady." She pressed play.  
  
"Message One."  
  
Nancy's voice filtered through the air. "Chloe honey, it's me, your mom. I have-have-have th- th-th"  
  
"Damn machine!" Chloe cursed and pressed the stop and play buttons a few times, hoping to get it to work when she heard the tape being eaten up inside of the machine. "Ugh!" She ripped open the player and tore the eaten up tape out, throwing it in the trashcan by the desk. "Damn ancient machine!" She threw the machine out as well. "Never again." Why she never decided to buy an updated answering machine was beyond her. This one had always given her trouble. Well no more. Tomorrow she would go out and buy a new one or maybe she'd just call her phone company and have them set up voice mail for her. "Six lost messages," Chloe sighed. "Oh well, couldn't be anything important." She sauntered to her bedroom, hoping to catch a few more winks before she had to get up and start her day.  
  
TBC. . . Thanks for reading! 


	14. Chapter 14

I disclaim! I am sooooooo sorry I haven't updated but school started this passed Monday and you know how it is. LOL Thank God, this semester all my classes are online. (Phew) Ehhhh is all I can say about this chapter. So sorry. And LOL @ Sue. There's no way I could make this fic go on for 100 chapters but thanks LOL  
  
  
  
Chapter 14: Get Me To The Pub On Time!  
  
Chloe gulped down the rest of her orange juice and jogged out of the door. She was already late for her shopping date with Belle. A few winks had turned into a few hours. And now it was half past twelve and time to get her ass in gear.  
  
********************  
  
*Basic Black*  
  
"Yeah well son, I mean it's not the best looking dog I've ever seen. Don't expect him to win any awards but he is darn cute," John Black sat on the floor in his office, rubbing Fred's stomach. "Kinda grows on ya. Kinda like you."  
  
"Ha, ha, old man." Brady, sitting across from him, grinned. "He's a good dog. I mean I've always wanted one. Don't know why I never got one before."  
  
"So, uh, not that I don't love you being here but what are you doing here kid? Christmas's not for another ten days."  
  
"Can't I visit my family without having some ulterior motive?"  
  
John merely raised his trademark eyebrow and began scratching a snoring Fred behind the ears.  
  
Brady sighed. "Okay, okay. Look, I kinda sorta called Chloe last night."  
  
"You called Chloe?" John giggled like a schoolboy. "Well come on. Tell me. How'd it go?"  
  
"It went as good as can be expected, considering she didn't answer the phone and I left a completely juvenile, ridiculous message."  
  
"You left a message? What'd you say? Did she call you back?"  
  
"Okay, first of all, calm down. You acting like a giggling teenage girl is kind of creeping me out."  
  
"Ouch," John chuckled.  
  
Brady joined him in laughter. "Secondly, I don't remember what I said and whatever it was must not have been very good because she didn't call me back."  
  
"Well, what'd you say son?"  
  
"I told her I had a meeting scheduled for today in Salem. Of course, I have no meeting but I had to make up SOME excuse for coming to town. Didn't want her to think I was coming here just for her."  
  
John shook his head, smiling. "My son playing head games with a woman. Will wonders never cease?"  
  
"And well, I asked her to meet me at the Brady Pub at two o'clock if she was off work. And if she was working, I'd drop by the hospital."  
  
"Well, she and Belle had a shopping date this morning. So I believe she is off for the day."  
  
"Oh really?" Brady frowned, looking at his watch, wondering why Chloe hadn't called to confirm a date. Maybe it was too late. Maybe she'd already moved on with her life.  
  
"Yeah, but don't let that worry you son. She'll probably call you first chance she gets. You know how selfish your sister is. Probably tying up Chloe's day."  
  
Brady gave his father a small smile. "I have more news for you. Nothing too big or anything. Just made a life decision." He played with the hem of his red shirt.  
  
"Oh yeah? What'd you decide?"  
  
Brady swallowed. "I put in my transfer for the Salem PD."  
  
"You what? Why?"  
  
"Well, Jesus dad, if I'd have known you'd be so happy, I would've done it sooner," Brady bit out sarcastically.  
  
"Brady, I'm not upset. I'm just. . . confused. Of course I'm happy you're coming home. Why wouldn't I be? I just want to know what brought about this change?" 'Or who,' John thought to himself.  
  
"I just. . ." he sighed. "I've just been thinking about my life lately. I wanted to be closer to family and being back here in Salem feels right. Like it was meant to be. And of course, Chloe may have had a little to do with it." He looked at the knowing plastered on John's face. "Okay a lot." He paused, looking for the right words. "I just know what it feels like now when your priorities change and how to deal with them when they do, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I know." John nodded. "You're growing up. Took you long enough," he joked.  
  
Brady chuckled. "Yeah, yeah." He sobered. "Like I said I've been thinking about my life a lot recently, about what I've been afraid of all these years. What I discovered was that I was afraid of getting too close to someone. And Chloe told me that you know but I just didn't want to hear it at the time. I was afraid of loving her and losing her like. . ." he trailed off.  
  
"Like your mother," John finished grimly and Brady nodded.  
  
"Like my mother."  
  
"Brady, when I first met your mother I knew that what was between us couldn't be denied. We were best friends. . . lovers. We were everything to each other. . . meant to be. If, back then, I'd have known she was going to leave us so soon, I'd still have married her and she me. We'd still have you and we'd have enjoyed every second we had each other on this Earth. And you know something? We did. Do you understand what I mean, son? Do you understand that nothing is guaranteed in this life but that you have to make the most of what you do have when you have it? Life is so much sweeter that way."  
  
Brady nodded, touched. "I understand. You know I look at my life now and I try to imagine it without Chloe and I just can't. At first that thought made me want to push her away. Dump her before she can dump me sort of thing. But now I see how foolish I've been and how much precious time I've wasted."  
  
John smiled. "You really care about this woman, don't you?"  
  
"Dad, I love her, with everything in me. I've never loved anyone more." **************  
  
*Ballistix*  
  
Chloe ran her hands along the black silk teddy. "This is beautiful," she murmured to herself.  
  
Belle peaked over her friend's shoulder. "Well, then buy it."  
  
"But. . ." Chloe sighed.  
  
"But nothing."  
  
"You're right, Belle. I'm going to get it. Nothing would have stopped me from getting it before Brady Black and nothing's going to stop me now."  
  
"Good girl."  
  
*****************  
  
Brady stepped into the Pub. It was one o' clock. One hour and counting. He still hadn't heard from Chloe but he figured if she still wanted him and loved him she would be here. If she truly felt half of what he felt for her, she would be here. She had to be. Knowing she still had an hour to get here before he considered himself stood up, he took a seat in a booth and grabbed a menu, tying Fred's leash to the table leg.  
  
"Brady Black! Is that you?"  
  
Brady turned to see Caroline Brady smiling, making her way over to him. "Mrs. Brady, how've you been?"  
  
"Get over here," she pulled him into a hug when she heard a growling down at her feet. "And who's this little guy?"  
  
"That is Fred. Hope it's okay I brought him in here."  
  
"Any family of yours is family of mine," she grinned, untying the leash from the table and gathering the dog in her arms. "When's the last time this guy's eaten?"  
  
"Oh who knows," Brady chuckled. "We just drove in from Chicago this morning."  
  
"Okay, well how about two Brady burgers and a side of fries for the each of you?"  
  
"That sounds great. But hold the onions on Fred's burger. I read something about onions and loss of red blood cells in dogs or something this morning in the paper."  
  
"Okay," she grinned, handing the dog back to Brady who seated Fred next to him.  
  
"Thanks, Mrs. Brady."  
  
"It's nothing, Brady."  
  
Waiting for the food to return and waiting for Chloe, he listened to 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' playing through the speakers and smiled. If everything worked out right, he was sure he'd have a merry little Christmas indeed.  
  
*****************  
  
Chloe sighed as she plopped down in her seat at the Java Café. "Oh boy, what a day."  
  
"Aww. . . you loved it," Belle grinned, taking the seat across from her.  
  
"I did," Chloe confessed, getting comfy in her chair and sifting through her bags.  
  
"Good. Shopping is a girl's best friend, you know? Better than diamonds!"  
  
"Better than a hot shower," Chloe smiled.  
  
"Better than chocolate!"  
  
"Better than sex!" Chloe giggled.  
  
"I don't know about that," Belle murmured.  
  
"Well, it's been so long on both counts, my memory's kind of foggy."  
  
Belle laughed. "I see. So. . . uh. . . you and Brady never. . ."  
  
"No," Chloe shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Oh." Belle left it at that. "Oh look, there's Philip."  
  
"Greeeeeeat," Chloe muttered.  
  
****************  
  
Brady slurped down the last of his chocolate shake. It was four o' clock. Chloe was an hour late. Part of Brady knew he'd been royally stood up. The other part of him reasoned something could be keeping her so he should just sit tight. So he'd gone through two Brady burgers, four colas, four sides of fries, and two chocolate shakes. Well, three now.  
  
Brady looked over at his canine friend. About an hour ago, Mrs. Brady thought it'd be cute if she dressed Fred up in a baby bonnet and bib and place him in a highchair and so she did. Fred looked absolutely ridiculous. "Fred, you look absolutely ridiculous." Brady deadpanned, to which the dog merely snorted and turned away from him. "Well, what do you think Fred? Have we officially been stood up?"  
  
****************  
  
"Yes!" Philip exclaimed, raising his hands in the air for dramatic effect. "Yes, oh yeah baby. Whip me! Whip me ragged!"  
  
Belle laughed a little too hard for it to really be sincere Chloe realized, so she too put her best face forward. "And did it work?"  
  
"Well, yeah, I mean, pretending that the cream had a voice really helped me whip it properly. And the cake turned out wonderfully. Best cooking class I've ever had."  
  
Belle finished off her coffee. "That's great, Philip. You know what? I just realized I meant to call Shawn so I'll be right back," she hurried from the table. If she had to listen to one more of Philip's stories about life in Los Angeles, she was going to kill someone.  
  
Chloe almost cried as she watched Belle make an excuse to leave the table. Damn her! Chloe nodded and smiled and pretended to listen to another one of Philip's incredibly boring, freakishly weird stories about life in L.A.  
  
Brady was pissed, to say the least, as he walked through Salem Place. He'd had it with love. Though there was no one to blame but himself really. If he hadn't been such a coward, he and Chloe would've gotten together weeks ago. "What have I done, Fred?" He looked down at his dog, still in bib and bonnet, who attempted to lift his leg and urinate on one of the trashcans that lined the walkway.  
  
"Oh no," Brady scolded. "We'll have none of that." He lifted the dog into his arms and headed to the Java Café. All that food at the Brady Pub had given him a colossal stomachache. A nice hot cup of peppermint tea would do the trick. "Shit," he sighed when he realized he'd gotten that advice from Chloe. "Fred, what am I going to do? I lost the love of my life before I even got a chance to really love her. Tragic, isn't it?" Fred only snorted and shifted in annoyance in Brady's arms. And that's when Brady spotted them: Philip and Chloe over at the Java Café, looking pretty damn cozy if he didn't say so himself. "Too damn cozy," Brady gritted out. For a second he contemplated just walking away, admitting defeat. But as quickly as that thought occurred, it passed. So, with a fidgety Fred in one arm and a balled up fist in the other, he made his way across the street in a direct beeline for Chloe and Philip's cozy little table.  
  
"So yeah," Philip exclaimed, smiling that fucking dimpled grin. "And. . ." he trailed off when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Is that Brady coming over here?"  
  
"What!?" Chloe choked out and followed Philip's gaze. Sure enough, Brady was walking directly towards their table, his face a mask of stone. And apparently he was holding some kind of doll? It was until he was at their table that she realized the doll was a bulldog puppy complete with bib and bonnet. "What the hell?" Chloe murmured.  
  
"Philip. . . Chloe," Brady murmured, never taking his eyes off of her the minute he spotted her from across the street. "I see you've been busy."  
  
"What?" Chloe choked out again, eyes wide. What the hell was Brady doing in Salem? Why didn't he tell her he was coming to town? And why the hell did he look so damn angry? Sexy as hell but angry?  
  
He laughed maniacally. "Oh ho ho, like you don't know why I'm. . . disappointed."  
  
"I don't."  
  
"Oh let's see I call you last night and leave a preposterous message. You know I suck at leaving messages. And you don't even have the decency to call me back. And yes, I admit, I was waiting by the phone. But never again. Oh, and then I wait for you at the Brady Pub too, part of me still believing that you love me as much as I love you. I ate two Brady burgers. Two! I hate Brady burgers! I like Burger Barn but I. . ." he rattled on.  
  
Chloe felt her face flush with the excitement of seeing him again after all this time. Even if he was upset, for whatever reason, he looked damn good. His lips, though flapping away in the breeze, seemed fuller than she'd remembered and his eyes seemed exceptionally blue today. And his cheeks were really rosy from the cold. And his hair was kind of windswept and was doing that dorky cowlick thing Chloe loved so much.  
  
"And I hate that," he finished. "Well?" Brady stood defiantly, holding the dog in one hand, the other on his hip, breathing harshly.  
  
"Well, what?" Chloe looked at him, confused.  
  
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself Miss Lane?"  
  
"I'm. . ." Chloe trailed off looking for the right words because she honestly didn't know what the hell he'd been babbling about. "Sorry?"  
  
"That it huh?" Brady shook his head in amazement. "You sure are a piece of work. Well, I hope you'll be very happy with Philip, Mata Hari. Come on, Fred." He angrily strode away, leaving a clueless Chloe and an even more befuddled Philip behind.  
  
Chloe's brow furrowed. "Did that just happen?"  
  
"Um yeah. Your name's Chloe right?"  
  
"Ugh, yes Philip."  
  
"Well, who's Mata Hari?"  
  
"Wha- Oh my God, he thinks we- Ugh. Oh God." She buried her face in her hands.  
  
Belle arrived back at the table, her face the picture of puzzlement. "Chloe, was that my brother?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What the hell was he doing here?"  
  
"I don't know but he thinks Philip and I. . .Ughhhhhh!"  
  
"But Philip's gay," Belle said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Brady doesn't know that!"  
  
"That still amazes me," Philip grinned.  
  
"Oh God. Oh God."  
  
"Well, Chloe, what did he say?"  
  
"Before he called me Mata Hari and accused me of sleeping with Philip? Well, let's see something about leaving a message and burgers and being stood up and him obviously loving me more than I do him. I don't know really. He was acting really weird."  
  
"He admitted he loved you?"  
  
Chloe nodded, slowly coming to a realization. "He admitted he loved me. He admitted. . .oh my God. Ahhh," she screamed. "Belle! He loves me! And I love him and woooo!"  
  
The two proceeded to jump up and down, screaming, ignoring the shocked faces of the patrons that passed them. Feeling a little left out, Philip joined the two women in jumping up and down and screaming in wild excitement.  
  
"I've got to do something. I've got to go get him!" Chloe fumbled for her bags.  
  
Belle giggled in anticipation. "Kiss him for me. Well, you know what I mean. A brother-sister type of kiss," she finished quickly.  
  
"Belle, when I kiss your brother, there will be nothing sisterly about it," she bolted from the table, shopping bags in hand, frantically searching for the man who'd stolen her heart.  
  
TBC. . . Thanks for reading! 


	15. Chapter 15

I disclaim!!!! I got another chapter out really fast. WooHoo! Maybe it'll disappoint you, maybe not but I had to get this chapter out so I could get the next one out which I will finish pretty soon. I've always wondered about the choppy flow of this story and this chapter is a perfect example of it. But I can't help but want to speed things up at some points LOL Oh LOL @ Kal for animal cruelty. I know you dress up your pets in freaky clothes! Don't deny it LOL And Sue this is my first time taking all online classes. So far, so good. Even though I end up writing fics instead of doing my work :-\  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 15: On The Road Again  
  
"Brady, where are you?" Chloe plopped down on a bench at Salem Place. She'd just spent the last twenty minutes scouring the streets of Salem in search of him. She'd even asked random people if they'd seen a tall, attractive blonde haired, blue-eyed man carrying a baby bulldog in a bib and bonnet to no avail. "Damn him," she muttered. Excitement had turned into anticipation, anticipation into nervousness, nervousness into fear and fear into anger. So now she was pissed.  
  
"Uh Chloe?" Belle approached her friend and joined her on the bench.  
  
"Belle."  
  
"No luck, huh?"  
  
"Nope," she sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But I've been thinking."  
  
"About?"  
  
"Your pain in the ass brother and his continuous habit of overreacting to and assuming things. How dare he think Philip and I were somehow involved? We were just drinking coffee and I will drink coffee with whoever the hell I want to!" She stood, shopping bags in hand, and began pacing. "If he loves me so damn much, why doesn't he trust me!?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"But nothing! I am sick of Brady Black! Sick of him! I am sick of this emotional tug of war he seems to be playing. One day he wants me, the next he doesn't. He doesn't call me for two weeks and then just shows up one afternoon and berates me in public!?"  
  
"But-"  
  
"I was the most emotionally stable person I knew before he came into my life and now I'm some kind of basket case, some kind of freak all of a sudden!?"  
  
"Love changes people?" Belle offered.  
  
"You know what, Belle? The sooner you figure out love sucks, the better!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"No! Love sucks! It really does. It rips into your heart and buries itself there, eating away at you, consuming you until there's nothing left but a pitiful piece of. . . crap." She felt herself tear up and her voice lose some of its strength. "I hate him. I really do. I hate his eyes and his lips and how his hair does that stupid cowlick thing at the front. I hate him and I never want to see him again." The shopping bags fell from her hands, as she began sobbing.  
  
"Oh, Chloe," Belle gathered her friend in a hug. "I'm sure things'll work out."  
  
Chloe pulled out of her grasp, roughly wiping the tears from her face. "But you don't seem to get it, Belle. I don't want to work things out. Not anymore."  
  
"But-"  
  
"No. I have had it. If I never see Brady Victor Black again, it'll be too soon!"  
  
****************  
  
That Evening. . .  
  
"Dammit!" Brady paced around his apartment. Today had been a nightmare. An absolute nightmare. "This is a nightmare, a fucking nightmare, Fred." He peered at his puppy, who yawned loudly before turning away from him. "Yeah, yeah go to sleep, you punk. Bury your head in the sand." He collapsed onto the couch.  
  
"Though I think you may have the right idea. Maybe if I wish really hard and go to sleep, I'll wake up and will have never met Chloe. Never will have looked into her stupid, huge. . . gorgeous eyes, never run my hands through her amazing hair, never touched her soft skin, never kissed her tender lips. Arghhh. . . I sound like a fucking wuss, don't I? And I'm talking to a sleeping dog. I need help." He used his remote to flip on the radio. "Greeeeeat," Brady muttered when he heard a nocturne from Chopin softly filter into the room. "Let me guess, God. Could this be another one of your signs," he sneered bitterly.  
  
Blowing out a calming breath, he reluctantly let the music settle him. It was warm and comforting and sad all at the same time. But it was also very familiar. It reminded him of his time in the hospital in Salem and the first time he'd laid eyes on Chloe. Part of him had fallen in love with her the minute he set eyes on her.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"That's not funny, Belle!" Brady glared at his sister and ran his hand through his hair. And that's when his eyes landed on a beautiful, blue- eyed brunette standing timidly at his door dressed adorably in Marvin the Martian scrubs, her hair up in a high ponytail. "Who the hell are you?" He spat, uncomfortable with the shocked way she was looking at him.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
Brady frowned. "I was such an ass. But she sure put me in my place. She was wonderful, absolutely stunning. An angel," he whispered to no one. His brow furrowed as he came to a realization just as the music swelled to a fantastic crescendo. "An angel." He shook his head as if he couldn't believe what he'd just grasped.  
  
Brady bolted off of the couch with a renewed energy, heading straight to his bedroom. "Pack your things, Fred! We're going to take a little road trip tonight." He pulled down a duffle bag from his closet and began shoving in some clothes. "Salem U.S.A. here I come." He paused in the midst of his task, suddenly feeling very weary. "I just hope I'm not too late."  
  
*****************  
  
Meanwhile. . .  
  
"And I know it was fruitless now. All my efforts were fruitless. But I know that this will just make me a stronger person," Chloe finished and took a generous sip of her peppermint tea.  
  
Chloe, Mimi and Belle had all adjourned on the floor in front of the fireplace of Belle's family room for another bonding session. "Oh Chloe," Belle sighed.  
  
Mimi cut in. "Chloe, I know you don't want to hear this but I'm your friend and I love you. So I'm just going to be straight with you whether you want to hear it or not. I don't feel sorry for you one bit."  
  
"Meems," Belle began.  
  
"No, Belle. She has to hear this," Mimi turned her attention back to an offended Chloe. "You love each other. You're both connected, always have been, tarot cards or not. Now I know you're feeling hurt for whatever reason but you're both being really silly. You could be together right now, in each other's arms, enjoying each other's company. But instead, because you two are so very stubborn and infuriating, you're sitting here alone."  
  
"But I'm not alone," Chloe pouted. "I have you two."  
  
"You know what I mean by that, Chloe."  
  
"Well, what do you expect me to do!? Drive to Chicago and bring him home with me!? He's not a child, Mimi. He can make his own decisions." She stood, pacing. "I mean he's always been a pretty independent guy so long as I've known him. He never needs anyone. . . or so he says," she paused, staring into the flames burning brightly in the fireplace, the shadows dancing across her face. "But I do know better. He hates admitting he's wrong about anything. He hates asking for help. I mean once he offered to put a bookcase together for me and not once did he look at the instructions sheet. Needless to say, I had to kick him out so I could do it myself." She chuckled. "He loves when it rains like I do. And we have this fantasy where we dress in yellow rain slickers and yellow boots and hats like the Morton salt girl and just start playing in puddles. . . Don't ask," Chloe grinned at the befuddled looks on Mimi and Belle's faces. "He drinks warm milk and sugar before he goes to bed each night. He likes to jog every morning and take walks every evening. And he loves 'I Love Lucy' and is a closet 'Survivor' fanatic." She sobered. "And he loves me. And a part of me has always known that." She paused. "I have to go."  
  
"What? Where?" Mimi asked, shocked.  
  
"To Chicago," Chloe answered simply, gathering her things.  
  
"But," Belle began. "It's snowing like crazy. It'll take you at least three hours to get over there."  
  
"If that means I get to see Brady Black at the end of those three hours, then it's worth it," Chloe grinned. "Bye ladies. Wish me luck!" And with that she was out the door.  
  
"Good Luck!" Belle and Mimi yelled simultaneously, giggling. If any one of them had thought to turn on the radio, they would've heard the warning: Severe snowstorm headed their way.  
  
******************  
  
The weather had just gotten worse on the ride over. It had taken him two hours; twice the usual time it would have taken him to arrive in Salem. But apparently, there was a pretty nasty storm raging around the state. It was eleven o' clock at night when he'd figured Chloe was probably sleeping in her bed. After all, she probably just wanted to sleep, go to work in the morning and forget about this afternoon when he slated her in public. He flushed, embarrassed as he recalled the memory. He'd stood before Chloe's door and knocked a few times before considering coming back in the morning. But a gut feeling had him heading over to his sister's house to see what was up. Not that he thought anything could be really wrong. Truth was, he couldn't wait any longer. Screw his pride. He had to see her tonight, apologize and then convince her they were destined for a life together. He just had to find her first.  
  
"Brady?" A sleepy-eyed Belle answered her door. "What-- what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Chicago."  
  
"Can you invite me in before you begin your interrogation, please? It's absolutely freezing out here."  
  
"Of course," Belle stepped backed, letting her brother inside.  
  
"Thank you," he breathed out, rubbing his hands together. "You wouldn't happen to know where Chloe is would you?"  
  
"What time is it?" Belle scratched her head, part of her wondering if this was some kind of freaky dream.  
  
"Sorry, I know it's late. I just need to know where she is."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Chloe."  
  
"She's in Chicago with you, right?"  
  
Brady shook his head. "Maybe I should give you a few minutes to wake up or something."  
  
"No, no. I'm up. But what are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for Chloe," Brady finished, exasperated.  
  
"She's in Chicago," Belle paused. "Or at least she's driving there but she should be there by now."  
  
"Whoa, whoa whoa, what are you saying? Chloe's on her way to Chicago right now."  
  
"Yes, so what are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm here for her. I love her. I was trying to find her to tell her so."  
  
"Oh my God," Belle cooed. "That's so amazingly sweet. This is totally like that O'Henry story where the lady cuts off all of her hair to buy her husband something he needs for. . . something. I think his watch. But she doesn't know he's sold his watch and bought her a hair clip. It's really very sweet."  
  
Brady ignored his sister's babbling. "Look Belle, can I use your phone. I want to try Chloe's cell."  
  
"Sure," Belle sobered, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. The storm outside seemed pretty strong and Chloe was out there in the midst of it. Chloe hated driving period. There was no telling what could happen to her in a snowstorm.  
  
"She's not picking up. Could be the storm. Maybe the signal's out." Brady let out a calming breath and replaced the receiver. "I'm going to go find her."  
  
"You think she's okay Brady, don't you? I mean nothing can happen to Chloe, right?" Belle pulled at her brother's jacket, preventing him from leaving just yet. "Right, Brady?"  
  
"I don't know. But I love her, Belle. And if I can help it, I won't let anything happen to Chloe ever again."  
  
******************  
  
"On the road again. Something, something. On the road again," Chloe sang loudly and clearly to keep herself alert in the slowly moving car. The streets were a virtual wasteland. Visibility was poor at best and the wind kept swerving her car from side to side. For the first time in a long time, Chloe felt real fear bury itself deeply in her gut. The only thing keeping her going was the thought of Brady's face when she showed up on his doorstep.  
  
"But I can't see anything. . ." she trailed off, peering outside her windshield. She gasped as she spotted the large oak branch blocking her way. She tried to avoid it, but it was too late. Apart from her terrified scream, the resonance of screeching tires and the inevitable crash of twisting metal, the only sound to be heard was the howling wind.  
  
  
  
  
  
TBC. . . This chapter was kinda short. Hopefully, I can make it up for the next chapter. Thanks for reading! 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I disclaim!  
  
A/N: Oooh I am sooooooooo sorry I took so long to update. I have been so busy lately and could never find the time to sit down and get writing. However tonight, I was inspired and got this out quickly. I hate leaving fics unfinished. This is the last chapter though because there is just no time to update anymore. :( I hope this chapter is okay and doesn't disappoint because I know some of you guys have been waiting a long time for this. Be forewarned: This is cheesy and mushy LOL Thanks sooooooooo much guys for reading and replying and long live BROE!!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
Chapter 16: Coma Coma Coma Coma Coma Chameleon  
  
  
  
"Aggh," Chloe moved her mouth. She felt as if someone had thrown a rock at her face.  
  
"Chloe? Chloe, sweetheart, wake up."  
  
Chloe opened her heavy eyes and tried to focus and turn her attention to the voice calling her name. "Chloe."  
  
She felt someone grasp her hand and focused on Craig's face. "Craig," her voice was raspy. "Craig? Nancy? What happened?"  
  
"Oh Chloe," Nancy gathered her daughter awkwardly in her arms. "I'm so glad you're okay."  
  
"Chloe, you just had a slight concussion and broke your foot. You've been out for a few hours but you're going to be okay. Do you remember anything honey?"  
  
Chloe let out a long breath. "Uhhh. . . God, seems like ages ago but I remember driving to Chicago and I couldn't see a damn thing. Next thing I know, I'm running into a tree and. . ." she trailed off. "I guess I was knocked out for awhile but I do remember getting out of my car to inspect the damage and everything and one of my tires was flat. I remember kicking it and feeling the most intense pain of my life," she chuckled. "Hence my broken foot, I suppose." She sobered. "I really don't know what happened after that though. I must have passed out again. How did you find me?"  
  
"We didn't," Craig said matter-of-factly. "Brady did, lucky for you and all of us."  
  
"Brady?"  
  
Craig nodded. "You were like a block of ice. Brady came into the ER carrying you in his arms, looking like death run over. He was so worried."  
  
"And so relieved," Nancy added, smiling. "When he found out you were going to be okay. He really loves you."  
  
"I know." Chloe grinned. "I'm going to marry him, even if he doesn't know it yet."  
  
Nancy squealed in amusement. "You remind me of me when I met your father."  
  
Craig only shook his head in amazement. "Poor Brady doesn't know what he's in for."  
  
"Where is he anyway?" Chloe yawned, an effect of the medication.  
  
"Outside, probably pacing the hallways, worried sick about you," Craig chuckled.  
  
"That's not funny," Chloe couldn't help but join her father in laughter.  
  
"It's hilarious honey. If only you could see him. He has this tiny bulldog in his hands, can't keep still and looks like he's had fifty cups of coffee. His hair's doing this really dorky twist at the front too."  
  
"Can you send him in?" She asked her father.  
  
"On one condition."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Try and calm him down please. How this guy makes his living keeping order in society, I'll never know."  
  
Chloe only laughed as her parents left the room. A few moments later, Brady poked in his head.  
  
"Chloe?"  
  
"Brady?" She mocked him.  
  
"Ha, ha. Very funny," he stepped into the room cautiously and stood by the door looking ready to bolt at any second.  
  
"Brady, I'm fine. Really." She held her arm out to him. "Come here."  
  
He smiled slyly and went to sit on a chair beside her bed. He pulled her hand into his and kissed it softly. "Chloe, I love you."  
  
She knew he loved her, knew it the minute he laid eyes on her, but hearing him say it threw her for a loop as happy tears ran unheeded down her cheeks. "I love you too, Brady. My little boy," she ruffled his hair.  
  
He smiled roguishly; then sobered. "I should be angry with you."  
  
"Why?" She grinned.  
  
"Recklessly driving in the middle of a snowstorm. Foolishly not heeding-"  
  
"I was not reckless!"  
  
"Not heeding the warnings of horrible weather," he finished.  
  
"Okay, fine. It was foolish of me. But you were the one who found me. So what were you doing on the road at a time like that, hmm?"  
  
"Looking for you."  
  
"Brady," Chloe began.  
  
"Okay. Okay." He sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"I love when you do that," she smiled at him dreamily.  
  
He peered at her quizzically. "Do you know that a part of me fell in love with you before I laid eyes on you."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What do you mean 'yes?' You don't know that."  
  
"Yes, yes I do," she laughed furiously. "I remember walking into your room and you were such a pain in the ass, yelling about something or rather, looking like the perfect, beautiful spoiled brat."  
  
"I said BEFORE I laid eyes on you."  
  
"What do you mean?" Her brow furrowed.  
  
"I mean when I was in a coma."  
  
She shook her head, confused. "But-"  
  
"You see I was at home tonight, talking with Fred."  
  
"Fred?"  
  
"One of the signs."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, I mean my dog. But he's a sign too." He sighed, shaking his head. "I'll explain that later. Point is: I'm in my apartment and Chopin comes on the radio and I remembered."  
  
"Remembered?" Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was sure he'd never remember.  
  
"And I realized something."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"Uh huh. You were- you ARE my angel. My angel of music. The only voice I remembered when I was in the hospital all those weeks in a coma." He reached out and grasped her hand. "The only touch I remember feeling deep in my soul. The only thing that inspired me. And the only thing that continues to inspire me."  
  
"Brady," Chloe sighed, a little overwhelmed.  
  
"I know it sounds crazy but. . . Chloe, you saved me. And I know now that we're meant to be together. You had the tarot cards and I have Fred and Chopin playing on my stereo in my apartment."  
  
"Don't tell me Mr. Nihilistic believes in signs," she joked.  
  
He grinned and then sobered, holding a blushing Chloe's gaze. "I believe in us."  
  
"I do too," Chloe whispered as she felt Brady's soft lips descend slowly upon her own, gentle, undemanding, loving kisses.  
  
"Could this be what being in love feels like?" Brady asked, his hand softly stroking the side of Chloe's face.  
  
"I think so," she pulled his head down, his lips to hers again, demanding more from him now, wanting to breathe him all in and remember this forever.  
  
"Ooh wee," he breathed out. "Miss Lane, you're going to be the death of me."  
  
"Ooh wee? Brady, you been watching those old westerns again?" She chuckled as he flopped back into his seat.  
  
"You got me," Brady surrendered.  
  
"I sure do," Chloe grinned.  
  
"I'm not afraid of loving you Chloe. I don't think I've ever been afraid of that. My problem was, I was afraid of losing you."  
  
"And now?"  
  
"Now I'm not afraid. Now I just want to love you, through thick and thin for better or for worse, all the days of our lives." He kissed her lips lightly.  
  
"Oh, Brady," she felt herself tear up again.  
  
"Don't cry. I hate to think I make you cry. Maybe I ought to leave you for a bit, let you get some rest."  
  
"Oh no," she whined. "These are happy tears, you fool. Stay with me. Just tell Craig you've got nowhere to go or something. Tell him you can't sleep without me. Just stay?"  
  
"Okay," he leaned his elbows on her bed and laid his chin in his hands. "I'll never leave you again. I can promise you that."  
  
"Until you go back to Chicago," Chloe pouted and played with the hospital bed sheets.  
  
"Chloe-"  
  
"I'm sorry for being so selfish Brady but-"  
  
"Chloe, I transferred to the Salem PD. That's what I'd come to Salem to tell you when I saw you having lunch with Philip at the Java Cafe."  
  
"Oh, Philip." She groaned.  
  
"I was an idiot. I was so angry, I didn't give you a chance to explain. You were just having coffee with an attractive, young man, who just happened to be my nephew."  
  
"And who just happens to be gay," Chloe finished.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Philip. Gay," she said flatly.  
  
Brady chuckled. "Phil's not gay. He would've told me."  
  
"Okay," Chloe nodded, not wanting to discuss Philip but rather her and Brady.  
  
"So anyway, I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."  
  
"You're forgiven Cupcake Man."  
  
"Cupcake Man?"  
  
"Well, cupcakes ARE sexy." She smiled slyly.  
  
"That's true," Brady grinned, knowing they were both thinking of that night on the couch with the frosted cupcakes.  
  
"Join me?" Chloe scooted over in bed and held open the sheets.  
  
"With pleasure," Brady slid in bed next to her, gathering her in his arms.  
  
"This is nice," Chloe yawned loudly.  
  
"Go to sleep, sleepyhead," he chuckled.  
  
"No, I don't want to miss anything."  
  
"Miss anything?" Brady chuckled. "What's to miss? Me babbling about how, contrary to popular belief, man never landed on the moon."  
  
"Yeah," she yawned again. "Oh, I forgot to thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Saving me tonight."  
  
"We rescue each other," he kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Oh, you're so sweet," she yawned once again.  
  
"Chloe, go to sleep."  
  
"Will you be here when I wake up?" She looked up at him with these big, beautiful doe eyes that turned Brady's insides to a sloppy, cheesy mush.  
  
He tightened his grip around her and kissed her forehead. "Chloe, in this drunken medicated state you're in, if you ever remember anything I say, remember this: I love you more than any words in this nutty world can say and I plan on having you with me for the rest of our lives. When you're with me, you're in good hands."  
  
"And in the only hands I'll ever want to be," Chloe murmured before falling asleep. And so they both took a well-deserved rest and when they woke, started their lives together, Fred included of course.  
  
  
  
  
  
THE END!!! Thanks for reading!!! ;), Georgie aka pbnj 


End file.
